Charming and The Witch
by NagiraAkisa
Summary: History has it that an evil, powerful witch and her vengeful spirits are living in the abandoned castle deep within the woods. Everybody believes it, and keeps their distance, but him? He doesn't. My take on Disney's 1991 animated movie: Beauty and The Beast. Cross-Posted on AO3
1. Prologue

**Hello, everyone! Welcome to Charming and The Witch! I am so excited to write this story, and I couldn't wait to hear what you guys will think of it.** **(^▽^)**

 **Alright, this story is my take on Disney's animated ( _not_ the upcoming live action) movie, Beauty a** **nd The Beast. To make it even more interesting, there will be a 'gender role switch' in my story. You'll know what I mean as you read on or can guess from the story's title. On the side note, this story is also inspired by the trailer of the 2011 film, Beastly. Never watched the movie itself, the ratings are kinda... discouraging too.**

 **No more talking and on to the story! I hope you will enjoy.**

 **Please pardon any mistakes, especially my grammar. I'm trying my best to improve.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts and its characters! Except for the OCs and the story (well, my addition, changes and version of it at least). Everything else belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **Charming and The Witch**

 **Prologue**

 _Hello, my children. Come, sit a little closer, and listen closely to what Granny Lacemere has to say. Pay attention now, for today's story isn't just any story… but the tale of our home._

 _On a beautiful land, thriving with various plants and creatures, lies the peaceful Kingdom of Soligtus ruled by the Royal Family of Vallenhart. The realm comprised 3 major towns: Traverse Town — the town of night-lights, Twilight Town — the town of sunset, and the capital, Radiant Garden — the town of gardens and fountains._

 _Our ruler was a kindhearted and intelligent king named Ansem Sophos Vallenhart. He never declared war to gain power and always strived to improve the lives of his people. King Ansem was down-to- earth, selfless and willing to teach what he knew. He even trusted his close students with his findings and experiments. Everyone in the kingdom loved and respected him with their heart._

 _However, one day, one of his experiments malfunctioned. As the King rushed all his students to evacuate, he himself was too slow. The experiment exploded and took his life._

 _King Ansem Sophos Vallenhart was laid to rest in the royal burial ground at the age of 57._

 _Prince Vanitas Cinereus Vallenhart, King Ansem's adopted son, ascended the throne at the young age of 26._

 _The whole kingdom mourned for the loss of their king, especially Prince Vanitas._

 _Prince Vanitas Vallenhart was an orphan who was found injured in the castle's garden one stormy night at the age of 14. With a soft heart for those in need, King Ansem had nursed him back to health and raised him as his own. Under his loving care and upbringing, Prince Vanitas grew up into a great young man, who valued peace, knowledge and helping those in need as much as his stepfather._

 _Needless to say, Prince Vanitas loved his stepfather and his sudden death had devastated the Prince with grief. Not long after his coronation, King Vanitas moved out of the castle in Radiant Garden and to a smaller castle that resides in the woods between Twilight Town and the capital. His wife, the newly turned Queen Silvana Netla Rosewood, welcomed him with all her love and open arms._

 _Queen Silvana Rosewood was a commoner who King Vanitas met and fell in love with during a visit trip to a neighboring kingdom back when he was 21 years old. They married a few years later and the whole kingdom rejoiced in their merry union. However, after a year of their marriage, Princess Silvana found out she could not bear a child despite the healers' help and fell into despair._

 _Crushed by the sight and remembered how much his wife loves the nature, Prince Vanitas had the smaller castle built in the woods for her as a present. Princess Silvana moved to the new establishment permanently after the construction was completed._

 _For the next 15 years, King Vanitas had been a great ruler to Soligtus. He carried on his stepfather's studies and experiments, improving his people's lives and continued been a good friend with the neighboring kingdoms to reduce all possibility of war._

 _All was peaceful until the night which began The Rise of the Broomriders._

 _Witches and warlocks — or broomriders as we called them — are nefarious magic users who cast dark magic, make deadly potions and kidnapped little children. They are solitary creatures and always did their crime solo. But that night was different because the broomriders came in huge groups, like murders of deadly crows with their wands out — readied to cast lethal spells._

 _It was a nightmarish night. Houses were raided, some were burned down, and children were snatched. The royal guards fought back with all their might, but the broomriders easily outmatched them. The guards were not prepared for war, especially one with wicked, flying magic-casters._

 _Knowing he was short of manpower, King Vanitas promptly formed a new team of fighters called the Broomrider Hunters. The group composed of many experienced fighters across Soligtus, ranging from swordsmen to rare sorcerers, who volunteered to fight for their kingdom and their loved one. The Broomrider Hunters only had one goal: Protect the innocent and terminate all witches and warlocks._

 _With the power provided by the hunters, Soligtus had the upper hand against the broomriders as their attacks dwindled by the 3rd month of the battle and stopped altogether. The war had come to an end and Soligtus was victorious. However, King Vanitas was concerned of what the escaped broomriders would do in the future, thus he sent the Broomrider Hunters out to track down and eliminate them._

 _The relief and peace from the victory were ephemeral, for another tragedy shook the land: Queen Silvana was struck down by an unidentifiable illness. Devastated by the thought of losing another loved one, King Vanitas sought help from the neighboring kingdoms. The Kings assisted by sending over their best healers, but none of them could find the source and cure the Queen._

 _Most unfortunate, Queen Silvana passed away at the age of 38, and the whole kingdom mourned once more. King Vanitas mourned as fully as he did for his stepfather, but he mourned the longest for his wife._

 _The King began to shut himself in the castle and refused any audience from his people, but did his duties as the ruler nevertheless. Dealing with the damages from the battle, and coping with the death of his Queen, King Vanitas was at the lowest point in his life. His moment of weakness was not left unnoticed, for the wickedest creature in the world took this as her opportunity._

 _One winter's night, an old woman dressed in a tattered cloak turned up at the castle's gate and asked for shelter from the bitter cold. Without a second thought, King Vanitas invited her in, unaware just who the elderly really was. Once inside the castle, the old woman's appearance melted away and shifted into the strongest witch of all: The Mother of Witchcraft._

 _Before anything could be done, the Mother of Witchcraft ended King Vanitas's life._

 _For the rest of the night, she terrorized the castle; hunted down the inhabitants, not caring if they were men, women, children or elderly. She carried on her dark deed until she had vanished every single one of them. The Mother of Witchcraft was proud of her work, for she had avenged the death of her kin. However, her cruel, unforgiving act will not be pardoned._

 _Suddenly, a bright blinding light shone upon the witch from the night sky. Surrounded by the holy light, a beautiful woman descended. She was our savior and grace, the Goddess of Kingdom Hearts._

 _Enraged by the deed of the Mother of Witchcraft, our Goddess placed a powerful spell upon the Mother as punishment. For the rest of her life, the witch has been cursed to seal within the castle's walls, with no hope of reversing the spell._

 _To this day, the Mother of Witchcraft continues to roam in the castle of the woods. Fellow adventurers who had ventured into the castle stated they have not met the witch personally. Instead, they were greeted by another form of evil: spirits. The explorers claimed these vengeful spirits were summoned from the underworld by the witch to protect herself, and they would harm anyone who stepped into her new territory. Therefore, the castle was declared as a restricted area._

 _Due to the sudden death of King Vanitas and the lack of a regent, the closest and longtime friend of both King Ansem and Vanitas, King Mickey Mortimer Maus of the Kingdom of Disney, stepped in and announced he would rule over Soligtus in honor of his friend._

 _For the past 2 years, King Mickey ruled over with little to no difficulties, and the whole kingdom eventually stopped mourning for their fallen King and carried on with their new peaceful life._

 _Although the Royal Family of Vallenhart was short-lived and no longer with us, they lived on in the hearts of their people. Their legacy will pass on through the generations and live on forever._

〜∗〜∗〜 Charming and The Witch 〜∗〜∗〜

The clock tower struck 6 o'clock just as the storyteller finished the story. The elderly woman hummed and stood from her stool, her old joints cracking after sitting stiffly for so long. Adjusted the shawl around her neck, she motioned the group of children sat before her to rise from the carpeted floor.

"That's all for today, dearies. It's time to go home," she instructed before noticing the fear on their little faces. "Oh, my lovelies. I'm so sorry if the story had frightened you. The past may have been scary and wasn't always peaceful, but it is also in the past. The broomriders are gone, and King Mickey has been a great ruler to us. Everything is safe and sound."

A boy with bright orange hair questioned, "How do we know if the Mother of Witchcraft is still sealed in the castle?"

"Ah." The storyteller turned to the boy. "That is a good question, Neku. Two royal guards would go to the castle twice every season to check. As stated by them, the witch's silhouette would walk past the windows once in awhile, so it wasn't hard to spot her."

"Will she break the spell one day?" A brunette girl clutching a cat soft toy asked next.

"No, I don't think so, Shiki. The Goddess of Kingdom Hearts is an all-powerful being, surely her spell won't be broken so easily." The storyteller began to walk towards the exit, gesturing the children to follow her. "Don't worry, dearies. Trapped in the castle, Mother of Witchcraft can do us no harm. Just remember to stay away from the woods and castle. They are too dangerous — especially during winter. You wouldn't want to be eaten by wolves, would you?"

The children replied with either an 'I understand' or a shake of their head to dismiss the thought of becoming wolves' meal.

"Now that's a good boy and girl." Soon, she stopped at the library's entrance, with its heavy wooden doors held open by a teenage staff. "Alright now, time to go home. Next story time, I'll read both 'The Great Adventures of the Chocobros' and 'Oracle Luna and the Plague of the Stars'. How about that?"

Almost instantly, the kids perked up and thanked the storyteller before leaving the library with smiles on their faces. One by one, the staff and storyteller bid the children farewell until the last of them had left. The old woman groaned and stretched her sore back before glanced up to the teenager with a small smile. "I noticed you were listening to the story earlier."

The teenager turned to face her. "Hm? Oh, yeah. Work ended early, so I decided to join in until it's time for the kids to go home. Did I bother you, Granny Lacemere?"

The storyteller, known as Granny Lacemere by everyone in town, shook her head. "No no. I do not mind at all. It's just…" The smile on her face turned into a worried expression. "I'm quite… concerned for you."

"Concern? Why?"

Granny Lacemere brought a bony finger up to tap her face as she reminisced. "I don't know if you have noticed it yourself. But you were… smirking? No no… that isn't the right word..."

"Smirking?" The teenager raised an eyebrow at that description. "Am I?"

The elderly woman shook her head once more. "Not really. You were smiling, but it wasn't a smirk. It's a… Oh! A skeptical smile, yes. It's like… like you don't believe in the story. You even rolled your eyes once."

"Really? I apologize if my action had upset you. I'll keep it in mind the next time you tell this story, Granny Lacemere." The teenager smiled politely and was about to leave when the elderly woman stopped him.

"Wait for a second, dear. I want to know why are you acting like that. That story is our history, yet you have shown skepticism about it. Why?" The storyteller asked, a look of concern and curiosity spread across her feature.

The library staff hesitated to the grandmother figure before he finally spoke, "It's not that I don't believe it. It's just… There are so many versions of it; I don't know which I should _truly_ believe in. I mean, you left out so many details in the one you told to the kids."

"I have to. They are merely children, son. I can't tell them about the death, the massacre and the message. Those would only frighten them more; scarred them even. They only need to know what is crucial for now. They'll eventually know the rest as they grow up." Granny Lacemere explained.

"That's understandable, but it also proves my points. By filtering and removing anything that is considered 'too graphic or not important', we don't get the full story in the end," the teenager stated. "There are so many missing pieces, that's why I can't find myself believing anything other than the full picture; the truth."

"How do you plan on finding the truth, dear?"

The teen sighed and let his shoulders droop. "I don't know — not at the moment. But I intend to find out one day."

The old woman sighed as well before shaking her head with a weak smile. She turned to the open door and uttered her last sentences to the teenager that day, "I've always known you differ from everyone in Twilight Town. Do whatever your heart tells you, dear. However, I only have one simple request: Please don't go near the castle. I have seen too many deaths and horror throughout my life. Everyone here is like my family, I don't want you or anyone to be taken by that witch ever again... Have a safe trip home, Roxas. I'll see you in the morning."

Roxas gave the storyteller a stare, then a soft 'see you too' as he watched the old woman limped out of the library and disappeared among the bustling crowd.

* * *

 **And that's the end of the** **prologue! I hope you all enjoy the story so far. Due to my busy schedule, updates will not be frequent, but I'll try my best! I'll have you know that my chapters are quite long, so I hope they'll worth the wait.**

 **Thank you for reading! Do drop a review, favorite or alert to share your thoughts. They make me so happy.**


	2. Chap 1: It Began with a Trip

**Hello, Everyone! Yes, I'm not dead and is (gosh damn finally) back with a chapter update!**

 **I am so sorry for keeping you guys waiting. It has been very... stressful past months. My great friend, who is also my beta-reader for this story and a fan of KH, was going through some tough time in her life. So the revision had been postponed. I myself have been busy with work and figuring out what I want to do with my life. Yeah, to be short, life happened.**

 **Back to a lighter topic! I watched the live action of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and I really enjoyed it. I'm glad they tried their best to cover all the plotholes in the animated cartoon and they didn't alter the plot unless it was necessary. I also went to Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour in my country. It was beautiful! *cries* Especially with all the extra dialogues they added in. *cries harder* During the show, I realized a major flaw to my story and I ended revising the whole plot again. It took a much longer time than I wanted to solidify the changes and new additions, but I hope they would make the story much better and realistic from before.**

 **Alright, behold, I give you, chapter 1 of 'Charming and the Witch'. Enjoy~**

 **Note: Some characters may or may not be related to other characters who shared the same last name. Those who are really 'blood-related' should be clear as the story progresses. Thank you.**

* * *

 **Charming and the Witch**

 **Chapter 1: It Began with a Trip**

 _Looking past the evergreen trees, between the spaces of their scales-like leaves, she asked warily, "Who are you?"_

 _Silence._

 _"I am…"_

〜∗〜∗〜 Charming and The Witch 〜∗〜∗〜

A sharp chirp brought Roxas Strife back to the real world. He looked up from the book he had been engrossed in for the past hours and turned to the source of the sound.

Perching on the open windowsill of his room was a messenger chocobo, wearing a mini dark green bandana around its neck and its yellow feather gleamed under the late afternoon sun. Once it noticed its call had caught the young man's attention, the bird flapped open its wings and flew to his book-stacked desk, landing next to him with another "kweh".

"Oh hey, Choco," Roxas greeted the bird, closing the book in his hands and put it away. "It's been awhile. A letter from Hayner, I presume?"

"Kweh!" Choco chirped then raised one of its legs, where a small sealed metal canister was attached to it.

With gentle hands, Roxas uncapped the container and retrieved the paper within. Unrolled the small letter, the spiky-haired blond scanned through the content before a grin spread across his face. "They're reaching, huh? Better go meet them then."

He tucked the small paper away and rewarded Choco a piece of Reagan Nut per usual. The messenger chocobo accepted the delectable treat and gobbled it up happily. "Thanks, Choco. You can go back to your owner now."

After bidding farewell with a chirp, Choco spread its wings and flew out of Roxas's house through the open window.

The young man placed the jar of nuts away and strapped his munny pouch to his belt. With long strides, he left his room, down the stairs and exited the two-floored house to the crisp cool air.

Roxas has been living in the sturdy building for as long as he could remember. Like a handful of other townsfolk, he and his family lived a short walking distance away from Twilight Town, so they have larger land for gardening, raising hens and a stable for their family horse, Buster. Both the house and land were costly, of course. However, his parents and godfather had well-paid jobs, thus able to afford them.

Roxas closed the front door firmly behind him and was about to leave for town when a stern, female voice called out to him, "Where do you think you're going, mister?"

The blond stopped in his track, startled by the sudden address. "Goddess of Kingdom Hearts, Aunt Aerith," Roxas uttered before turning around to face the brunette, "Don't sneak up on my like that. You almost gave me a heart attack. I'm just heading into town; Hayner and Pence are back from their travel."

Aerith Gainsborough Fair crossed her arms across her chest and lectured, "Then you should sharpen your hearing. Also, without your mantle or overcoat, you're not. Winter is approaching, Roxy. Don't want you to get sick now, do we?"

Roxas rolled his eye at the nickname but did it with a small smile. Aunt Aerith might be stern at times, but he knew she was simply caring for him. Moreover, she has been teasing him ever since he was a child, and he couldn't find himself to dislike her. In fact, Roxas was grateful that she didn't change one bit, especially after the war had ended.

"Stop calling me that, please Aunt Aerith? I'm 21 already, and what's wrong with what I'm wearing? I think they're just fine." He gestured at his apparel consisted of a dark brown long-sleeved shirt, leather belt, beige-colored breeches, and knee-high leather boots. Simple and comfortable. Just the way he liked it.

"Because they're thin. At least add on a doublet, Roxas. I can feel the biting cold already," the brown-haired woman said with a shudder.

"I'm fine Aunt Aerith, I assure you. Shall I fetch you your cloak instead?" The blond offered, knowing his godmother never likes it when the temperature dropped too low.

"It's alright, Roxy. I'm almost done here," Aerith said with a shake of her head before placing her dirt-caked-gloved hands on her hips, the gardening apron she wore prevented the soil from dirtying the pink dress underneath. "Just a few more flowers to transfer then harvest some vegetables. You never know when it'll snow these days, so it's best to get things done before then."

"I'll help you after I got my stuff," Roxas volunteered. "So don't push yourself too hard, alright Aunt Aerith?"

The brunette smiled and let out a short giggle. "I'm supposed to be the one to care for you, Roxas. Not the other way around. But, alright, I'll try my best not to. Now go and run your errand. Just remember to come home before dark, understand?"

"I will. Won'tbe long." Roxas waved his godmother farewell and began his walk to town.

* * *

Twilight Town has always been a relatively quiet town. However, every morning and late afternoon, the town would buzz with activities and that day was no different from the others. Traders calling out their wares, food vendors beckoning passersby to buy their grubs, customers walking in and out of different workshops, and townsfolk entering the only church in town for their late afternoon prayer to the Goddess of Kingdom Hearts.

Over the years, the little town of sunset he knew had grown bigger and livelier, thanks to King Mickey's help in continue restoring Soligtus after the Rise of the Broomriders ended. With the three towns' own uniqueness and their former rulers' stellar reputation, travelers from all around the kingdom came to visit, allowing the towns to grow even more prosperous with what they earned from the tourism. More houses were built, more stores were opened, more jobs were available, and the townsfolk began to have a better, comfortable life.

Roxas steered his way through the bustle of carts and crowds along Market Street, for it was the quickest route to the South Gate, where his friends would be entered through.

"Oh, hello, Roxas dear." A perky voice greeted him, causing him to a stop. Roxas turned his head to the source and saw a blonde middle-aged woman dressed in a navy blue dress and white fur coat, standing by the threshold of a clothing boutique.

"Hello to you too, Mrs. Spindler," Roxas greeted back with a smile and a slight nod. "How was your day?"

"It's quite good, actually." The couturier answered. "With winter fast approaching, travelers have been asking for my best cloak and overcoat. My money pouch is getting fat fast." She laughed softly and gleefully as she patted a spot by her upper thigh. "How 'bout you dear? Today's your usual day off, isn't it?"

"My day has been great so far. I got to start on a book I've set my eyes on for quite some time. And yes, it is. I'm just coming out to meet up with someone," the young man replied.

"Oh~ Is it a girl?" Mrs. Spindler questioned with a teasing grin.

Roxas let out an awkward laugh and shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint you, Mrs. Spindler, but no. I'm meeting up with Hayner and Pence."

Her wide grin faltered and dropped into a smile. "Ah, I see. Say, Roxas dear. Shall I introduce you to some of my clients? You could use more female companions around your age."

"Oh no. That won't be necessary, madam, thank you." Roxas brought up his hands to reject. It was well-known among the townsfolk that Mrs. Spindler was not only a couturier but also a matchmaker and a good one too. However, she only does it for her customers. Thus, it became a reason why Mrs. Spindler's business has been running so well, for many people came hoping they would have a chance of finding their potential partner. But romance wasn't something Roxas was looking for at the moment.

"I know you can be quite shy at times, dear. But don't worry! There's this one girl from Traverse Town who I find—".

"Mrs. Spindler, please, there's really no need for you to match me up with anyone."

As if the Goddess above heard his silent plea, Roxas noticed a customer strolling towards the boutique and decided to use it as an escape route. "It seems like you're having a customer, so I won't take your time. It was nice talking to you, Mrs. Spindler. See you next morning."

With one last charming smile, he waved the clothes designer farewell and dashed away from the scene.

Behind him, Mrs. Spindler sighed in disappointment. "Such a pity… All he ever does is read. How will he ever find someone at this rate?"

After walking past more shops and greeted even more people, Roxas finally arrived at the South Gate and spotted what he was looking for in an instance. Situated not far from the entrance was a pine green-colored merchant wagon. On its side, written in bright, eye-catching red color, read 'Hayner & Pence | General Merchants'. Roxas couldn't help but smile every time he read the sign. Hayner was never good with naming, so he always went with the easiest or the first thing he could think of — Choco's name being one of it. Well, to his credit, the name of his and Pence's traveling trading business was straight to the point.

As Roxas advanced closer to the wagon, he spotted Pence Scientia tending to their horses, two beautiful brown-colored animals with strong muscles after years of pulling the wooden vehicle. The blond man watched the shorter, plump raven-haired man brought two full water buckets for the horses before calling out to him, "Did you lose weight, Pence? Are those new muscles on your hands I see?"

The man jumped at the sudden voice, almost tripping over his own feet. The two horses let out a snort at their clumsy owner before Pence composed himself and turned to greet him. "Oh! Roxas, it's you. Don't scare me like that ever again, alright? I've been jumpy enough on the whole journey back. And I suppose all those carrying should firm these babies up." He said with a grin and patted his bicep.

"Sorry about that. Why? Are the wolves packs growing in number?" Roxas inquired in concern, stopping to stand beside his friend.

"Well, not really. The royal guards have been keeping them in check, but you can never be too unguarded, you know? Especially when Hayner brought back three kegs of salted meat in the wagon." Pence replied, taking off his gray cap and proceeded to fan himself. It appeared his simple clothing of short-sleeved shirt, red sleeveless doublet and dark blue trousers were not enough to keep him cool. "I'm so glad we're home for all of winter."

Roxas gave his friend a smile then patted him on the shoulder. "It's great to have you guys back safe and sound. Now, Olette can go back pestering the both of you." He let out a laugh as Pence playfully hit him on the arm.

"Did someone say my name?" A male voice spoke from within the merchant wagon before the door swung open to reveal Hayner Tribal dressed in his signature attire: Green short-sleeved tunic, dark green breeches, leather belt strapped with his money pouch and dagger (for self-defense purpose), and ankle-high boots. With his blond hair, and overall green and brown-colored outfit, he could easily be mistaken as a wood elf if not for his normal rounded ears.

"My my, Hayner. I didn't know you changed your name to your girlfriend's," Roxas joked, watching the other blond puffed up his cheek.

"Before that, Roxas. Urgh, you know what I meant." Hayner shook his head with a smile then gestured. "Here for your orders, right?"

"Yeah. You sent Choco for this reason after all." Roxas let Pence back tending to the horses and walked towards his other friend.

Hayner nodded and retreated back into the wagon. "Knowing you, you would want to get your hands on them as soon as possible. The library ran out of books for you to read a long time ago after all. Ah. There they are." The next moment, he reappeared with two books in hands.

"Here you go," Hayner said while passing the books over to Roxas. "'The Illustrated Guide to Edible Wild Plants' and 'The Life of Ramza Beoulve'. I couldn't find that other book by Yen Sid. Sorry about that, Roxas."

"It's fine." Roxas sent his friend a grateful smile. "It's a rare book, so I don't expect you to find it so easily. How much?"

Hayner told him the price as Roxas rummaged through his pouch before dropping the coins into his friend's open palm.

"Thanks for the help, Hayner. As an extra payment, let me tell you something important."

The man in green raised an eyebrow curiously. "What's that?"

"Take Olette out on a trip. She has been dropping hints almost daily since you guys left one season ago. Best place? That Destiny Island you shared to us last time. She loves the idea of those Paopu Fruits," Roxas said with a teasing smirk and watched in glee as Hayner's cheeks turned red.

"H-How about her waitress job?"

Roxas snorted and rolled his eyes. "That's the reason why she wants to go travel with you, Hayner. Whenever the restaurant wasn't busy, I can see that she's bored and tired of the same old routine. After hearing all the stories from you and Pence, she dreams of seeing those places with her own eyes. She told me those herself during our breaks, you know."

"B-But traveling is tough, tiring and dirty. Why does she want to leave the comfort of Twilight Town?"

Roxas shrugged. "You know Olette; she's a tough girl. Plus, you guys will get to spend more time together like this. I'm surprised she hasn't given up on you, seeing how little time you two got before you and Pence are off traveling again."

"B-But…" Hayner sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "You have a point there… She has been so patient with me and never stops me from traveling in fear of me having an affair outside or something like that." A genuine smile spread across his face as his mind wandered off to his brunette girlfriend of three years. "Yeah, a trip with her does sound good. Maybe next Summer; the best time to go visit Destiny Island and doubles as her birthday present."

"You do your planning." Roxas grinned and patted his friend on the back. "I'm sure she'll be thrilled when the time comes, just remember to be careful on the trip. You sure you don't have other girlfriends in other kingdoms? Olette is like a sister to me; got to look out for her, you know?"

Hayner snorted then ruffled Roxas's hair playfully. "Of course not, you bookworm. Never will I cheat on Olette."

The other blond chuckled, pulled himself a safe distance from his friend then smoothed his hair back to normal. "I know. Moreover, I'm pretty sure Pence is more protective of Olette than me. So I trust him keeping an eye on you and stops you from doing things you'll regret later."

"Oh stop, you make it sounds like I'm a troublemaker," Hayner pouted, crossing his arms across his chest.

"But you are. Remember that time with Setzer?" Roxas reminded and had to stop himself from snickering as his friend frowned deeper.

"That was like 4 years ago! He openly flirted with Olette and clearly he was only interested in one thing and it was not a normal relationship," Hayner tsked and kicked the ground to vent his anger at the unpleasant memory. "He deserved that punch to the face."

Roxas smiled and added, "He did. Anyway, I have things to tend to before dark, and I'm sure you do too. Catch up tomorrow over lunch?"

"Sure. At the usual spot?"

"Yup. During our usual lunch hour break."

Hayner gave him a nod before quickly added, "You know, Roxas. You should add a new job title to your list."

Roxas's brow rose with mild amusement. "And what would that be?"

"Relationship Advisor. So, you're our town's friendly Library Manager, Chef, Food Creator, Reader and now, Relationship Advisor."

"I didn't know my reading hobby is a job; didn't see any munny so far. And 'food creator'? You're just making things up," Roxas said with a chuckle.

"Why not? Half of the restaurant's menu are your creations anyway." Hayner said matter-of-factly. "You should be running that restaurant instead of working for them."

Roxas shook his head. "I'm happy where I am now, Hayner. Alright, have to go. See you tomorrow and thanks for the books!" With a farewell wave to both his merchant friends, the young man turned on his heels and rushed off.

Hayner waved his friend goodbye and watched as the blond's form eventually disappeared among the bustling crowd. He shook his head and muttered, "Such a shame."

* * *

Knowing Market Street would be very crowded at the moment—and wasn't too thrilled about the possibility of another encounter with Mrs. Spindler either—Roxas decided to return home through the Sandlot, a large open space where town events are generally held. It also served as the center of town and a gathering place for travelers as it was where Twilight Town's iconic clock tower situated. With the height of a five-story building, two beautiful stained-glass clock faces and four bells, the tower can be seen from anywhere in town.

It was built in-between an inn and a post office ran by a Moogle, a rare magical race. Roxas once read that these mysterious, floating beings are intelligent, industrious and specialized in many lines of work. However, the Moogles he knew and heard of so far are mostly in the mail service with messenger chocobos. Maybe he should ask Hayner for books specifically covered on Moogles next time…

"For you, my angel. The finest, smoothest rabbit fur cap made from my own hunt. It will surely keep you warm throughout the bitterly cold winter." A male voice snapped Roxas out of his 'what books to get next' mental list and turned his head to the source. Well, the sight wasn't anything unusual.

Not far from him, sitting on the wide ledge of a fountain's half-round basin, was Twilight Town's most desirable bachelorette, Namine Lacemere. Stood in front of her was three of her usual suitors, dressed in their respective signature color: yellow, red and green. Standing beside Namine, clad in sleeveless doublet and long pants, was Seifer, Rai and Fuu, her friends and sort-of bodyguards. The blonde young woman's (uncalled-for) title had drawn some unwanted attention in the past, thus the gang of three offered to protect her from any future possible harm.

However, Namine didn't receive the title for nothing. With silky blond hair that always draped over her right shoulder, pale unblemished skin, rosy cheeks, cornflower blue eyes and pink lips, a glance at her was all it needed to be entranced by her beauty. Namine may not have a well-endowed bosom, but her slim petite figure was one many women dreamt of possessing.

She normally wore a simple knee-length white dress and blue-dyed shoe, which gave her an innocent and angelic look. Many people agreed that she lived up to her surname; delicate, pretty, and sophisticated—just like lace. However, what made the townsfolk like Namine even more was her sweet and gentle personalities. She always knows how to brighten up one's day, plays with the townschildren, cooks delectable meals and can knit as well. In short, she was the perfect housewife. Many young men in town (handfuls from the others too) have been asking for her hand in marriage since she turned 14. For the past 6 years, Namine had rejected every single one of them.

But a few suitors refused to give up that easily.

The dark-haired man dressed in red rolled his eyes before elbowed the brunet man in yellow away, almost knocking the rabbit fur cap off his hands. "Run along, chap. What sweet Namine Lacemere needs are these!" The man proceeded to hold up and present the blonde his gift. "Knee high deerskin boots personally handmade from an adult deer hunted by yours truly. I guarantee these boots will protect your feet from both the snow and the wind, so you can enjoy the outdoors as if it is still autumn." The man said with a proud grin on his face, eagerly awaiting for the girl of his affection to accept his present.

But a mocking laugh behind him snapped him out of his wishful thinking. "Hahaha! Do you both really think those are worthy for Lady Lacemere? Clearly, Lady Lacemere deserves better than simple rabbit fur or deerskin. She deserves this." The last suitor in green held up his gift, a beautiful white and gray cloak made from soft wolves' fur. "I myself made this cloak with my own hands from the wolves I killed in the woods by the Vallenhart's castle. Just for you, Lady Lacemere."

Roxas noticed Fuu nodded once, mildly impressed by the suitor's hunt. The dark, barren woods surrounding the old castle was home to a large wolf pack, another reason to discourage people from venturing near the castle. It was clear that the suitor was bragging about his courage to hunt in that section of the woods, but seeing he was the fittest and tallest among the three, Roxas wasn't surprised his hunt would be better.

The bachelor in green brushed his reddish hair back then promptly walked closer to Namine. "This cloak would look beautiful on you, Lady Lacemere. Let me help to drape it on you."

However, the redhead could do nothing because the second he got too close, Seifer and Rai stood forward, their taller and broader form blocked the suitor from proceeding any further. "Keep your distance, y'know!" Rai growled, effectively ordering the suitors to stay a safe distance away from Namine.

The blonde told her friends to stop frightening the three men before giving them an apologetic smile. "Thank you for your thoughtful gifts, as always. But I do not have a use for them, so I'm afraid I have to reject them." The three suitors' form immediately slumped in disappointment.

Namine continued, "I suggest you send the gift to your family member or a close friend. They would appreciate it more than I ever will. And please don't hunt just for sport, especially when you're putting yourself in harm's way."

The suitors nodded their head in understanding. Namine had once again rejected their affection, and they knew it would be wise to stop pursuing after failing for years. However, whenever Namine shows concern over their safety, family, and friends, they just found themselves falling for her all over again. It was impossible not to be captivated by the blonde angel.

Namine smiled at them before turning her head and made eye contact with Roxas. Her smile grew wider instantly. "Oh! Roxas!" She stood up from the fountain's ledge and hurried towards the young man, leaving her suitors and bodyguards behind. "Nice to see you."

"It's nice to see you too, Namine," Roxas greeted back with a small nod. "How was your day?"

"Oh, It has been delightful, thanks for asking. How about yours?"

A smile spread across his face. "It has been great too. I got to start on a book I had set my eyes on last week, and Hayner and Pence just returned safely from their travel with my orders too."

"Oh! Hayner and Pence are back? I must go welcome them home tomorrow morning," Namine said before questioned, "What did you order this time? Books again, I believe? Any rare one?"

"Yes and no. Hayner wasn't able to find them, but it's alright. They're rare for a reason after all," Roxas replied before holding each book in one hand to show them easier for the girl before him. "These are what he got."

Namine glanced at the books and her eyes gleamed when they landed on one of them. "'The Illustrated Guide to Edible Wild Plants'… W-Would you mind if I browse through it, Roxas?"

"Of course not. Here." The spiky-haired blond passed the botany book over to Namine and the girl accepted it gladly.

With careful hands, she flipped through the pages, marveled at the beautiful and detailed illustrations of numerous plants and flowers before shutting the book close and asked, "Are you rushing home, Roxas? I would like to browse through it longer but I didn't want to take up your time standing here."

"A-Ah well… I kinda am. I have to help Aunt Aerith out before dark," he explained.

"Then let me walk you home. I can read it on the way," Namine suggested, hugging the book to her chest with an excited smile. "You wouldn't mind, right Roxas?"

"I wouldn't. But…" Roxas's eyes looked over to her bodyguards and, of course, Seifer was sending his signature death glare right at him. Roxas and his friends were never on close terms with Seifer and his gang, but he noticed they have avoided each other more often after… Roxas gulped and shook his head, suppressing the sorrow and dread creeping up inside him.

Namine followed his gaze and pouted at Seifer, who immediately broke the glare and turned away, acting as if he had not been caught glaring red-handed. "Don't worry about them; I'll settle it. Be back in a minute," Namine told Roxas before trotted towards her friends.

Roxas watched silently as Seifer and Rai tried to persuade Namine while she would persistently reason back. Soon, they seem to come to a conclusion for Namine walked back to him with a victorious smile. "Alright, shall we go then, Roxas? We took enough of your time."

Roxas simply nodded and continued his walk towards his home. Right by his side, Namine flipped open the book and browse through the delicate pages once more.

Unbeknownst to Roxas, five men were sending him death glares behind his back. If looks could kill, the spiky-haired young man would have been six feet under a long time ago. After the blond duo disappeared from view, the rabbit-suitor growled, "Damn that Strife boy! He always got our beloved angel's attention without lifting a darn finger!"

"I second that. What does Namine Lacemere see in him? All he does is read and messing around with food," the deer-suitor grimaced, showing his dislike in the blond's pointless hobbies.

"Agree. He's not a hunter too. I bet he doesn't even know how to use a weapon or how to fight with one! How can he protect Lady Lacemere with those lanky arms of his?! He's nothing like his parents," The wolf-suitor groused with a deep frown.

Fuu, the usually quiet stoic girl, rolled her eyes at the three nagging suitors. "Obviously because they clicked…" She mumbled.

"What do you mean by that, Ms. Witcher?" The deer-suitor urged.

"Commonality. Clearly you three are lacking it…" The girl said with a cross of her arms.

"C-Commonality?" He repeated, letting out a snort then folded his arms too. "Of course Lady Lacemere and I have things in common. We both respect her grandmother, we both like the piano and… erm… we both like chicken salad?" The deer-suitor stuttered, failing to come up any more similarities between him and his crush.

"The whole townspeople like Granny Lacemere, so that worth close to nothing. There's no use to liking the piano if you don't know how to play and impress. Finally, chicken salad? I know that is a lie; you order steaks all the time," Seifer pointed out and the bachelor's face went as red as his clothing.

"A-Are you trying to side with that Strife boy?" The rabbit-suitor accused and the other wooers quickly voiced their assumption as well.

"No," Seifer answered without hesitation.

"Then why are you protecting him?"

"I am _not_ protecting Roxas Strife. I am protecting Namine Lacemere. I allowed Namine to walk him home because she trusted him, and I will respect her wish and judgment."

"Then why did you belittle him?" The wolf-suitor made a sideway nod towards the deer-suitor.

"I'm not belittling him. I'm simply stating the facts that his 'commonalities' with Namine are nonexistent, thus, unsuitable to be Namine's courter."

The deer-suitor gasped at the blatant insult, but Namine's bodyguards showed no remorse.

"Y-You all are definitely siding Strife!" The offended wooer yelled. "If you really care about Namine, you should know _he_ too is also _not_ suitable! Namine Lacemere should stop seeing him!"

Seifer strut towards the young man, easily towering him as he growled, "Do you think I don't know that? Strife may not be a warrior like his family, but he has yet to do anything to harm or discomfort Namine Lacemere. Namine herself had shared that she enjoyed the time she got to spend with him."

The deer-suitor unknowingly took a step back, feeling vulnerable under the taller man's intense glare. "Y-You trusted him?"

Seifer sighed deeply at the question. "To a certain degree, yes. However…" He turned his gaze to the direction the blond had gone off to not long ago. "If I found out he had hurt or is considered being a harm to Namine…" His fist tightened. "I will not forgive him."

* * *

Roxas covered his nose with a hand just in time as another sneeze attacked him, sending a wave of goosebumps down his spine. "Excuse me, Namine." He sniffed and promptly cleaned himself up as much as possible.

"It's alright, Roxas. You must be catching a cold, so remember to warm yourself up right after you reach home," Namine told him as if he was a child and Roxas couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't worry about that, Namine. Aunt Aerith will make sure of it."

The blonde woman nodded with a satisfied smile before turning her attention back to the book in her hands, turning the illustrated pages until she stumbled upon a certain plant. "Oh! This is it!"

"What? What is it?" Roxas craned his neck curiously to get a better look at the watercolor artwork, which depicted a plant with pale purple bell-shaped flowers and single berry painted a shiny black. At the top of the page, written in beautiful calligraphy, was its name: Atropa Belladonna.

"The deadly nightshade? What's it doing in there?" The spiky-haired young man queried mostly to himself, but his female companion answered him nonetheless.

"The botanist wrote that even though it is a book about edible wild plants, he believes it is important to include the top 5 most poisonous plants too, so foragers don't mistake them for similar edible one." Namine traced the berry in a slow circle. "You know, I almost ate one of these berries before, when I was a kid."

Roxas took in a sharp intake of air, surprised by his friend's almost-near-death story. "N-No way. Surely you didn't eat them?"

"Of course not," Namine giggled. "I said 'almost', didn't I? And if I did eat them, I wouldn't be standing beside you right now, would I?"

"A-Ah… Of course! That was silly of me. It's just… I'd read that only two of those berries are enough to be fatal for kids. To know a friend almost ate them once it's…" Roxas mused before quickly asked, "What or who stopped you from eating them? Granny Lacemere?"

"It was another forager nearby." A gentle smile present on her face as she recollected the past. "Lectured me hard too. He never told me the name though, only that the plant is poisonous; berries, leaves and all." She looked back down to the pages, skimming through the description of the plant. "It feels good to finally know what it's called. Atropa Belladonna… Such a pretty name."

"Yeah. Fits the plant too; ties with its… deadly beauty." Roxas bit his lower lip as he mulled over Namine's story. "You're no longer foraging for Granny Lacemere, right?"

Namine looked up from the book and gave her friend a curious look. "Not since I turned 15. Why?"

Roxas shook his head. "It's nothing. It's just… If you still do, the book can be yours to keep and use. There's nothing more important than keeping you safe."

"Oh!" The young woman uttered with a faint blush. "That's very thoughtful and sweet of you, Roxas. Thank you, but rest assured, I won't be foraging for quite a while."

Roxas sent her a kind smile then nodded.

Soon, the two young adults arrived at Roxas's home and saw Aerith standing not far from the stable with a saddled up Buster, his gray coat shone a silvery sheen under the late afternoon light. The brunette turned to face the duo as they approached and teased at the sight of them, "Look who finally decided to come back, and bringing home a lady friend? I hope dear Namine here isn't one of the 'stuff' you went to get, Roxy. That is just plain disrespectful."

"Certainly not, Aunt Aerith," Roxas informed with a sigh, fully expected his godmother to tease him something along that line.

Wanting to save her friend from further embarrassment, Namine jumped in to explain, "I offered to walk Roxas home, Mrs. Fair. He got this book—" she lifted it up to show Aerith the cover "—from Hayner and it reminded me of the times I forage as a kid. I find it nostalgic so I asked if I can browse through it."

"I see. Well, since you're here, would you like to stay for dinner? Unfortunately, I won't be able to join, but I'm sure Roxy here can still be a good dinner host without my presence," Aerith proposed and smiled when she noticed her godson rolled his eyes playfully at her nickname for him.

Namine simply shook her head. "I'm afraid I will have to turn down your generous offer, Mrs. Fair. Granny is expecting me to go home for dinner tonight."

"Oh, I understand. Another time, then? We could have your grandmother over too. The more the merrier." Aerith's brown eyes gleamed at the thought, the house has been too quiet with just two occupants.

"That sounds lovely. I'll let you know our answer after I asked Granny," Namine told Aerith before turned to face Roxas and handed the book back. "Thank you for letting me read it, Roxas. It was very kind of you."

"It was nothing." The young man informed, accepting the book and tugged it beneath his arm. "Remember, if you ever need it—"

"I'll come find you. No worries; I've kept it in mind." Bidding them farewell with a sweet smile and elegant bow, Namine turned on her heels and walked back to her own abode. After the blonde's form was no longer in sight, Aerith playfully nudged her godson with her elbow. "Namine is such a sweet and considerate girl. She would make a great daughter-in-law, wouldn't you agree Roxas?"

Roxas sighed at the obvious hint but his cheeks did flush a light pink in embarrassment. "Aunt Aerith, I've told you before, I view Namine more like a sister and a friend than…" His words trailed off then a soft breath escaped his nose. "Can we not talk about this? You have to get to Radiant Garden before dark, right?"

The brunette pouted at Roxas but decided to give him a break. "Fine, fine. Can't blame a woman wanting her godson to have a good wife." She patted their horse by the snout one more time then gestured the young man to follow her. "Come on then. I have 5 big pots I need your help with. I already moved the smaller one into the cart before you came back."

After quickly deposited his books in the house, Roxas hurried to the decent-sized wooden cart they owned and found his godmother had already climbed in.

"See those plants with the ribbons?" Aerith pointed over to her garden, and true to her words, Roxas spotted pots of flowers with a small pink ribbon tied around their stems. He nodded. "Those are the one I planned to take to the floral event. So, use those muscles of yours and help carry them to me. I'll take over from there on."

"Sure," Roxas said and began his work.

One by one, each of the five flower pots was carried over and lifted up to Aerith, who then place the pots into the cart before adjusting them, making sure they wouldn't topple over during the journey later. With one last heave, Roxas lifted the final flower container onto the cart's edge, and with Aerith's help, slowly lowering it into the wooden transport so its heavy weight wouldn't crack the panels below.

Aerith tucked a stray hair strand behind her ear as she examined her prized flowers. "Wow! I did not expect it to be so heavy. Good thing you're here to help out, Roxy." She sent the young man a thankful smile then climbed out of the cart (while refusing Roxas's offer to help) and landed onto the grassy ground with a puff.

"It's getting rather late, Aunt Aerith." Roxas began as he led Buster over and strapped the cart onto him. "Can you reach Radiant Garden by nightfall? It's a 2 hours journey, and even though Buster is a strong boy, he can't run fast with the cart this heavy." The blond fastened and secured the straps one last time before turning to face his godmother. "Do you have to leave tonight? Why not early tomorrow morning?"

Aerith gave him a small smile and replied, "I already booked a room at the inn, and both the manager and organizer of the event wanted to see the flowers so they could arrange a suitable spot for me." Aerith pulled out a burgundy cloak she had placed into the cart earlier and put them on.

"Still… Do you really have to?" Roxas stressed, finger twirling around Buster's rein anxiously.

"This is only my second entry into Radiant Garden's Winter Flower Festival. It wouldn't be a good idea to ruin their impression of me if I plan to work with them again in the future. Besides, I plan to take the old road; it'll save me an hour."

Roxas's face paled at the statement. "The old road? Y-You mean the one near the castle? Aunt Aerith, you can't use that! Wolves are common there; it's dangerous!"

"I know, Roxas. But the new road that goes around will take more time, you said so yourself. Going through the woods is the fastest option." Aerith comforted the blond with a pat on his shoulder and mounted Buster, but Roxas hesitated to pass her the rein.

"B-But… the wolf pack… You might get seriously hurt, Aunt Aerith. Or even di—" Roxas cut himself off with a firm shake of his head then urged with a shaking gasp. "Please reconsider this." His breathing turned shallower, the pounding in his ears was deafening and just when Roxas started to lose the feeling in his fingers, a gentle hand laid onto the top of his head, fingers threading through his hair. A wave of nostalgia washed over the blond and his form relaxed into the simple contact from his godmother, the throbbing pain in his chest subsided.

"Don't worry too much, Roxas. The wolf pack dwells in the deepest part of the woods, as long as I stay away from there, I'll be safe. I promise you, if anything goes wrong, I'll come right home or make the next best course of action that ensures my safety." Aerith stroke Roxas's head once more, his hair just as soft and fine as she remembered back when he was a kid. It was no mystery he inherited the spikiness of it from his father. "Trust me, alright?"

Roxas sighed deeply and handed the rein over to the brunette, albeit still hesitant. "Fine. Just… remember to send me a messenger chocobo once you reach there, promise? I won't sleep until I hear from you."

"Promise," Aerith answered and laid a small motherly peck on his head, causing the blond to smile from the fond memories that action had dug up. "So, back to a lighter topic. Are there anything you want me to bring back for you?"

"Books. Books would be nice."

Aerith pouted at the request good-naturedly. "Again? How can I make sure I won't bring back a book you have either already owned or read this time around, huh?"

Roxas chuckled at the tease. "Send me a message with the titles and authors, maybe?"

"Oh," Aerith muttered, bringing a finger to her lip. "That could work. Why didn't I think of that?"

The blond young man snickered and shook his head. "Come on, Aunt Aerith. It's best if you don't stall the time; night's coming soon."

"Alright alright. Be a good boy while I'm gone." Aerith clicked her tongue and Buster moved forwards, pulling the cart out onto the dusty path and towards the route to Radiant Garden.

Roxas stood by the edge of the road, watching his godmother receding form. Fear and concern still weighed heavily on his heart, and every muscle in his body screamed at him to run and stop her. The thought of this could be the last time he saw the brunette managed to cause his stomach to somersault and almost empty its content. But he forced himself to stay, for he trusted Aunt Aerith and knew she could take care of herself.

"Aunt Aerith!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "Stay safe, okay?!"

He saw his godmother turned to look back at him then promptly gave him a wave. She got his message loud and clear. Focusing her attention back onto the road before her, Aerith snapped the rein and Buster increased his pace. Soon, they made a curve, over and down a hill, before finally disappeared from Roxas's sight.

Unfortunately, unbeknownst to them, nightfall will come much earlier than both of them expected.

* * *

 **And that's all for Chapter 1. I hope you all enjoyed it and that it was worth such a long wait. The next chapter would be shorter, if everything goes as planned and no more surprises, it would be out faster than this chapter did.**

 **I would like to thank the lovely people in the following for**

 **Review:** **Ljstarlight (Thx for the 1st review here!)**

 **Favourite:** **SanityRequiem,** **Shomitaheima,** **WatcherOfStars,** **advanceshipping4ever,** **RoastedButter (Oh hello! Are you the same one from AO3?),** **Ljstarlight,** **Evernic,** **NyanBurnsEvrything, and** **CrazyPINOY25**

 **Alert/Follow: Shomitaheima,** **The Knight Galahad,** **TheRoseAlchemist17,** **WatcherOfStars,** **advanceshipping4ever,** **relena soulheart,** **RoastedButter,** **Variable Zero,** **Ljstarlight,** **Webb360,** **Evernic,** **NyanBurnsEvrything,** **Half-Dragon Hero, and** **CrazyPINOY25**

 **Thank you all!**

 **Thank you for reading! Do drop a review, favorite or alert to share your thoughts. They make me so happy. *heart***


	3. Chap 2: Wrong Place, Wrong Time

**Hello everyone, I'm back with an update! I'm so sorry for the wait. Again...**

 **Life has been tiring but productive for the past months. As I mentioned before, my beta-reading friend was going through some tough time and I was figuring out my life. Well, my friend has been doing much better and I did make a change in my usual routine by picking up a new skill - crocheting. It is oddly therapeutic, and I found myself really enjoying it. So, I'm learning and trying my best at scheduling my time, so I can juggle my full-time work, crochet projects & commissions, hobbies, and writing, so I can deliver the chapters out faster for you lovely readers. The reviews I received from you all are my motivation. *heart***

 **Another reason for this late update is... well... I don't think my writing was good enough. In the past months, I have been reading a couple of books and many, very well-written fanworks, and I just can't help but compare their writing skills with mine. The character developments, pacing, setup, the 'show, don't tell', and excellent grammar! I want to write like them. I want my stories to be great like theirs. So, I ended up revising this story as a whole again.**

 **Changes were made, more chapters were added, and all I can do now is write on, revise and hope it'll do justice.**

 **I now present to you, Chapter 2. Please enjoy.**

* * *

 **Charming and the Witch**

 **Chapter 2: Wrong Place, Wrong Time**

 _"Soothsayer?"_

 _"Yes, dear. And I have something for you…"_

〜∗〜∗〜 Charming and The Witch 〜∗〜∗〜

"Come on, Buster boy. You can do this! Pull!"

Aerith urged as she pushed the back of the cart with all her might. The wooden wheel squeaked and groaned from the pressure but it remained firmly stuck in the deep hole in the ground. The brunette huffed and stopped her attempt at freeing it, swiping stray hairs from her face with a dejected look.

Her journey from Twilight Town to Radiant Garden has been going disastrously. The middle-aged woman had chosen to use the shorter, old road through the woods rather than the new one around it to save traveling time. However, instead of reaching the capital an hour earlier as she planned, Aerith found herself held back longer than she ever expected.

At first, the obstacles she faced wasn't awful; just a few rotten tree trunks that had fallen onto the road, blocking further access. Moving them to the side had been easy enough with a spare rope she had brought along and their family horse, Buster's strength.

But as she traveled deeper into the barren woods, the ground beneath them suddenly gave way, funneling loose soil into a newly made hole. It would have swallowed half of the cart too if Aerith hasn't urged Buster to move forward quick enough.

Soon after that, another hole caved in mere inches from one of the wheels. Aerith snapped the rein to keep Buster and the cart moving forwards, knowing they cannot stay there any longer.

For a duration of their journey, the ground had caved in three more times, but none were as big or deep as the first. Although Aerith noted that each of them formed near either one of the wheels or Buster's footing as they rode on. Just when she thought they'll be fine, the cart suddenly tilted and pulled them to a halt that almost threw Aerith off-balance and onto the dirt.

And that was how she found herself standing behind her cart, trying desperately to free the wheel that was stuck half-way into the hole for Goddess knows how long.

"It must have been the weight…" The brunette deduced earlier, after observing the hole with a frown. There were no roots holding the soil together and the dry ground simply couldn't take the heavy load of the wooden cart. She had not expected this old road to be in such a non-travel-friendly state.

Aerith let out a frustrated sigh. The sky was getting darker by the seconds and the chilly air bit through her cloak. She regretted not taking Roxas's advice on leaving the next early morning. This shortcut surely wasn't worth it.

"Alright, Buster. Let's try one more time," Aerith told her horse. "On the count of three, pull as hard as you can. One… Two…" The brunette grasped onto the bottom edge of the cart. "Three!"

With all the strength she could muster, she tried lifting the cart up. She felt the vehicle shifted as Buster pulled, but it wasn't budging until she heard the wood groaned, the cart began to right itself and _thump_! The wheel was finally free!

"Thank you, Goddess!" Aerith cheered before hurried to Buster's side and pet his neck gratefully. "You never fail me, Buster, my boy." The gray-coat horse simply gave a low grunt in response and leaned into his owner's touch.

"This must be so tiring for you. Let's head home and travel again tomo—"

" _Arooooooooo_ _!_ "

Buster shot his head up with a loud snort, shifting from hoof to hoof, spooked by the call of a predator. "Calm down, Buster. Easy there," Aerith cooed, grasping onto the rein and tugged, gesturing him to lower his head while stroking his neck. When Buster had calmed down significantly, more howls joined the first, each sounding closer and louder than the last. If that chorus of cries was the cue to leave the area, Aerith didn't need to be told twice.

"We got to go." With haste, the brunette mounted Buster and urged him to a trot then into a fast canter. The flower pots shook and clanked loudly in the rattling cart, but even with those noises, she could hear them — a distance away from her, among the dark bark of the trees, the howling of the wolves echoed through the chill of the night, and the sound of leaves crunching and twigs breaking under their heavy paws.

Aerith felt the beginnings of panic settling in, cramping her chest, making it hard to breathe and think properly. She can't turn back but with night fallen, continuing on through the woods was risky too. There might be more obstacles ahead and they won't have time to remove them with a pack of wolves at their heels.

She heard growls and instinctively looked over her shoulder. She could see them now — emerging from the shadow of the trees and onto the rundown path, chasing after them with mouth back in a snarl, revealing their sharp teeth and hunger-filled eyes.

"Faster, Buster!" She commanded the horse into a gallop, the cart shook heavily on the uneven ground and Aerith heard the flower pots toppled over. She was sure some of them had cracked, but that wasn't something to be concerned about at the moment.

They galloped on, dodging any low-lying tree branches, skirted around a fallen trunk, and through thorny bushes that grew onto the path. Aerith felt the stray twigs and thorns cut her skin, but adrenaline dulled the pain.

Aerith looked over her shoulder to see the pack of wolves gaining on them. At this rate, Aerith knew she and her horse would end up as wolves' meal.

"Oh Goddess, help me," The brunette prayed, cold sweat clung to her brows, and her knuckles clutched the rein so tightly they were turning white. The growls were getting closer. Buster couldn't run any faster. The sound of blood in her ears pulsed louder. In the midst of her panic, only one thought dominated her mind: _I_ _'m going to_ _die!_

Just then, an image of a blond-haired boy flashed through her mind. He was standing between two figures with a big smile on his face. A smile she had not seen for so long. No… She can't die here, she promised her. She promised! "Save me, please!"

 _CRRAAACCCCKKKKKK!_

Aerith shot her head up to the source of the sound and gasped. A massive tree ahead crackled, its rotten trunk split on one side, causing it to dip towards the path right before her. It was going to fall and block the road!

"Buster!" Aerith ordered frantically as the tree creaked louder and dipped lower and lower. Behind them, the pack — lead by their alphas — inched closer to the cart. _Make it make it make it. Please!_

 _THUUMMMPPPPP_! The giant tree tumbled onto the ground with a deafening crash, sending leaves and dirt beneath to the air, merely inches away from the rider and her cart that sprinted past underneath its collapsing form only milliseconds ago.

Promptly after, Aerith heard loud yelps and whimpers from the wolves, but she didn't look back to check. They galloped on, taking the opportunity to distance themselves from their pursuers, and soon, the surrounding woods was quiet once more.

Not wanting to take any chances, Aerith urged Buster to move on, but she could tell he was exhausted from all the running; his coat damp from sweat and the sound of his panting filled the air. They need a place to rest badly. But where can they be safe from the wolves?

Slowed down to a canter, Aerith glanced around the woods, hoping to spot anything that could act as a temporary shelter. Then, she saw something shining out of the corner of her eye. A firefly? No. It was white colored and still. It almost looks like a… Light reflection…

"Oh Goddess…" Aerith swiftly steered Buster to the direction of the illumination, hope began to fill her heart. If that was what she thought it was, then they'll be…

Soon, a tall, ornamental wrought iron fence crawled with thick layers of ivy loomed into view, followed by a double-door gate as tall as the barrier connected to it. Under the soft rays of the moonlight, she could barely make out the letter 'V' under all the climbing plants. Past the closed iron gates, just as majestic as she remembered in the past, stood Aerith's only refuge — the Valenhart Castle.

* * *

"There we go," Aerith breathed, removing the last of the cart's straps from Buster. "Must be more comfortable now, huh?" The gray stallion sighed deeply before nodding once, causing Aerith to smile and stroked his neck affectionately. Buster has always been a smart horse.

"You did great just now. Oh, what am I saying? You're a hero; you saved our lives back there!" Aerith said with a shake of her head, still couldn't believe they had escaped from a pack of hungry wolves and their impending death. "Roxas will be furious if he found out about this." Buster let out a snort as if to voice his agreement.

The brunette gave her horse one last pat on the neck before went to put the straps away in the cart. "Rest here while I go find something to make a fire with, alright?"

After receiving another small nod from Buster, Aerith turned to the ornate oak front door of the castle and pushed it open.

It was about ten minutes ago that she set foot on the Valenhart's Castle ground. The front gate latch had rusted away, leaving the entrance unlocked, thus Aerith had invited herself and Buster in. Although the castle still stood grand, its once dirt-free white walls also fell victim to crawling ivies, and the large garden that was once tended by gardeners and even the late Queen herself was overgrown with tall grass, weeds, unkempt shrubs, long-dead flower beds and deformed topiary.

She let out a wistful sigh at the sight of the castle's state. Her heart sank deeper as she thought of the cause of it all.

Aerith had parked the cart by the low stone steps of the castle's wide porch. She first unmounted Buster and checked him over for injuries. His legs received a few minor cuts, which had already clotted, much to Aerith's relief. Then, she gave herself a quick check as well. Some thorns and branches had torn the end of her dress, and like Buster, the minor cuts on her arms were healing. The worst one she got was a thin cut across her left cheek. It wasn't deep, but it stung when she touched it.

Relieved that neither of them sustained any severe injuries, Aerith set about unsaddling and unstrapping Buster from the wooden cart so he could rest comfortably. She gave her flower pots a quick inspection and just as she guessed, all of them had fallen over and some flowers even got uprooted. The mess in the cart needed to be attended to, however, a campfire and water were her top priorities. With the incident still fresh in her mind, Aerith chose to search the castle as the safest option.

The heavy oak door creaked and groaned from the long disuse as Aerith pushed it wide enough for her to slip in. The brunette coughed as dust particles struck her face and instinctively brought a hand up to brush them away from her closed eyes. After the door swung closed behind her and the dust settled, Aerith opened her eyes and marveled at the sight before her.

The grand foyer was spacious and breathtaking. The floor was laid with smooth marble tiles and the walls were decorated with multiple framed landscape paintings and unlit, brass candelabra sconces. The ceiling stretched up high and an exquisite crystal chandelier hung down from the center of the room. Each individual crystals were caked with layers of dust and cobwebs, but some still gleamed softly under the moonlight filtered through equally dusty and cracked windows.

Not far before her was an extravagant staircase laid with a worn-out and dulled red carpet with gold borders. It curved inward from a board bottom step up to an intermediate landing, where another oak door shut close on the wall and continued up as twin staircases, connected to the balcony that overlooked the foyer on the second floor.

Aerith stepped further into the foyer with light steps and scanned around. On her left stood a coat hanger and a set of seats and coffee table. The furniture was also covered in a layer of gray dust. The upholstery fabrics had been ripped and coming out at the seams. On her right was a mahogany console table with a single seat situated on both side. On the table was an empty, elegant vase placed upon a lace doily and a candelabra.

 _Candles!_ Aerith perked up at the discovery and rushed over to grab the brass holder. The three candles on it were used, but they will be enough for another half hour of light. _I need matches. Do they keep them nearby?_ Opening the drawers of the console table, Aerith grinned when she found a box of matches. With a flick of her wrist, the short stick came alight between her fingers before Aerith quickly transferred the tiny flame over to the candelabra. After the candles were lit, she blew out the match and smiled as the candlelight illuminated the space around her with a warm, orange glow.

 _Alright_ _. Now, I need to find water and firewood. The kitchen should have them._ Nodding to her plan, Aerith made her way to the hallway on the right side of the room, hoping it would lead to her destination.

In her hurry to search for the kitchen, the brunette failed to notice the shadow descending the stairway.

* * *

The door shook as Aerith attempted to push it open by the handle but it remained locked.

She let out a sigh and continued down the dim moon-lit hallway. All the doors she had encountered so far were locked tight, and it was getting frustrating. Surely the formal dining hall and kitchen wouldn't be too far from the foyer.

"Maybe it's down the other wing?" Aerith murmured to herself softly, a habit she developed after her husband had left for the hunt. "Ha… Maybe I'll stumble across the castle's library. I bet Roxas doesn't have books that belong to a royal family."

The brunette snickered, feeling rather silly mumbling all to herself, but it helped to keep her calm. Especially in a dark, cold, and supposedly haunted castle.

Speaking of haunted, Aerith was glad yet confused as to why she hadn't encountered any evil spirits the adventurers back in town swore they had confronted and fought. Then again, none of those adventurers had scars or injuries to prove their 'battle with the ghouls', so their stories could be fabricated. Right?

 _ **"What?"**_

Aerith froze at the spot, a chill ran up her spine. W-Was that…?

 _ **"What did you say?"**_

It was coming from behind her. A female voice. She was sure of it; she wasn't hearing things.

 _ **"You**_ _ **'re going to**_ _**steal from here?"**_

Aerith could hear footsteps — the familiar tapping of heels — coming down the hallway, letting the presence of the speaker known. She didn't even dare to turn and peek when the footsteps came to a stop.

 _ **"You**_ _ **'re going to**_ _**steal the books!?"**_

Although restrained, anger was clear in her voice; rumbling, dangerous and dripping with disgust. The florist flinched as the words struck her. "N-No! I-I… I didn't mean…"

 _ **"Face me when you speak, thief!"**_

Aerith recoiled at the hostility but did as she was told, in fear of getting hurt.

"Oh Goddess…" Aerith gasped when her eyes landed on the newcomer. There, stood about 20 feet from her, was none other than the one who began the war, and the one who took their beloved king's life — the Mother of Witchcraft.

The brunette let out a shaky breath and took a step back. Her grip on the candelabra trembled as she inspected the woman before her.

The witch was donned in full black; a long-sleeved dress covered her from neck to toes, her hands hidden under black gloves, and her face was also concealed behind a thick, black veil that fell from the witch hat's wide brim. Not a patch of skin was visible and if it wasn't for the moonlight trickling in through the curtains, she would have blended perfectly with the darkness in the hallway.

 _ **"You entered my domain uninvited,"**_ Mother of Witchcraft began, her voice remained low and powerful. _**"And you dare to steal from me!?"**_

"N-No!" Aerith defended. Even though she noticed they shared almost the same height, the Mother of Witchcraft stood with such an air of importance and authority that the brunette almost felt compelled to kneel or bow down before her. "I didn't mean to steal any books at all. I voiced it out, but I never plan to act on it." Aerith gulped, clutching her cloak tightly in front of her pounding chest. "I-I… I'm sorry for entering the castle, but I only want to search for some firewood and water for the night."

 _ **"Silence! Don't you lie**_ _**to me**_ _ **!"**_ Aerith eyes widened as the darkness around the witch twitched and distorted. _**"You planned to steal! And no one…"**_ The shadows on the floor twisted then merged, grew in size and formed into what resembled two clawed hands.

 _ **"TAKES MY BOOKS!"**_ The shadow hands launched towards the brunette, sliding across the floor like pythons. Aerith yelped and turned to run, but the hands caught up fast and grabbed her by the ankle. They pulled harshly and Aerith fell, knocking the wind out of her as she hit the floor hard. The candelabra dropped with a clatter to the ground, plunging the hallway back into the shadow.

Aerith groaned and gasped, trying to draw air back into her lungs as she attempted to crawl away by her elbows. However, the clawed hands were stronger, pulling her towards their mistress. She looked over her shoulder at the witch who held up a gloved hand, a swirling orb of silver-colored energy hovered above the open palm.

Knowing it was magic at first glance, fright consumed every cell in her body and a raw sob tore loose from within her. "P-Please! Believe me! I didn't plan to steal anything! I swear!"

 _ **"A liar and a thief like you should just stay quiet,"**_ the witch muttered coldly then flung the magic orb at the terrified woman.

Aerith's piercing scream echoed throughout the castle before it eventually faded away.

* * *

Roxas shut the book then finished the remaining tea he had made with flowers harvested from Aerith's garden. He let out a sigh of content, feeling the hot drink warming him up as he leaned back in the chair. Winter was fast approaching, and the night was getting colder and colder. Roxas glanced over at the fireplace, making sure the fire he made hadn't gone out before looking back to the book in his hand.

The words ' _After the Salt-Water Lake Dried by Hope Estheim'_ were etched across its simple and plain dark blue cover, free from any gilt pattern work and finishing. Roxas let out a soft sigh, rubbing his thumb across the book's leather bound. Whenever old memories resurfaced, Roxas would find himself rereading it from start to finish in one seating. The book helped him; then and now.

Stood up from his seat, Roxas walked over to the small bookshelf in the living area and shelved the book away. He hoped Aerith had read it too. He never asked.

Picking up his cup, Roxas entered the kitchen to rinse it clean.

His stomach rumbled slightly as he was drying the teacup with a towel. Earlier, he couldn't think of eating dinner without having his stomach somersaulting. But after the cup of flower tea, he was feeling so much more relaxed than before and his appetite came back demanding something filling. _Well,_ Roxas thought and placed the cloth away. _I think a simple meal should suffice._

 _Tacatac_ _tacatac_ …

Roxas stopped his move to shelf the cup as his ears picked up on a familiar sound. He furrowed his brows in confusion and strained his ears to hear it better.

 _Tacatac_ _tacatac_ _tacatac_ …

There it was again. Getting louder… Closer…

Roxas felt his chest tighten when he figured out the source of the sound. It had been roughly past two hours since they bid farewell. Aunt Aerith should be settled in Radiant Garden by now. Did she decide to turn back? Why? Did something happen?

The blond's heart pounded, his hands began to feel clammy and turning numb. His mind raced a hundred miles per second, trying to think of a viable reason for Aunt Aerith's return, until the sound of broken porcelain snapped him out of it.

"Goddess' wounds…" Roxas cursed and backed away cautiously, aware of the broken shards now littered the floor. His back collided with a table and the young man leaned heavily onto it to steady himself from a wave of lightheadedness. _Calm down, Roxas! Don't overthink this! It could be another rider. It doesn't have to be Aunt Aerith!_

He took in a few slow, controlled breaths to calm his trembling form and regulated his breathing, but concern and fear still got the better of him. He strode over to the front door and opened it just enough to peer out.

A gush of cold air blew past him, sending goosebumps across his flesh, but Roxas continued to look searchingly to the fields for any incoming rider. The sound of cantering was clearer outside; the hooves battering heavily against the dirt path.

Roxas waited a few more seconds before he saw it; the silhouette of a horse cantering over the hills and towards town. He swore he felt a cold grip squeezed his heart. The horse was alone. Not a rider in sight.

 _It_ _could be a wild horse._ _It_ _could be a wild horse._ _It_ _could be a wild horse._ Roxas repeated it over and over in his head, but as the running animal came close enough to be illuminated by the porch's candlelight, Roxas felt his stomach dropped.

It was Buster. Unsaddled and riderless.

Riderless…

Oh Goddess of Kingdom Hearts… Aunt Aerith!

Roxas burst out of the house and onto the grass. "Buster!" He called out as the horse slowed to a trot and stopped not far from his owner. The young man rushed up to him, noticing the poor creature was sweating and panting heavily. Roxas quickly examined him for any injuries that could be signs of wolves attack. Fortunately, there were none, but the new minor cuts on his legs worried him all the same.

"What happened?! Where's Aunt Aerith?!" The blond inquired frantically.

Buster shifted his footings, tilted and nodded his head back where he came. To the direction of the woods where Aerith headed off earlier. The woods where a pack of wolves roamed.

Without another word, Roxas dashed into his home, snatched his winter cloak from the coat hanger and bolted back out. The blond speedily wore the warm outer garment then mounted Buster. Riding without a saddle would be incredibly uncomfortable, but the young man didn't care for he quickly instructed, "Bring me to her, Buster! Go, boy!"

Responded with a neigh, Buster turned on his hooves and galloped off, back towards the woods in the cold, dark night.

* * *

 **And that's the end of Chap 2. What happened to Aerith and will Roxas make it to the castle in time? Find out in the next chapter!**

 **I hope you all enjoy the story so far and thank you so much for coming back after such a huge time gap between this chapter and the previous one. Hope this chapter was worth the wait as well. If you have spotted any grammatical errors, don't hesitate to inform me about it. I accept constructive criticism and ways to improve your reading experience.**

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	4. Chap 3: Encounters

**U-Um... I'm back? *Immediately get attacked by enraged readers***

 **I'm so sorry! The past 2 months have been a peak period at work and... this chapter is quite hard to write for some reason. It became so long (10,000 words!) that my great friend suggested that I split it to two in order not to bombard you guys too much information at once. And so, I did. Yup, people. This is part 1 of the original chapter 3's length. The next chapter is currently being read by my friend and once she gave me the green light, it'll be posted soon!**

 **Once again, I'm so sorry for this super late update. I apologize if it is not as great as you are expecting; after days of not writing due to work and events, I think my writing skill had dropped significantly. But I hope it'll be acceptable.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

 **Charming and the Witch**

 **Chapter 3: Encounters**

 _She stared at the offered wrinkly hand._

 _Her mind screamed caution…_ … … _But the temptation was strong._

 _She bit her lower lip, then accepted._

〜∗〜∗〜 Charming and The Witch 〜∗〜∗〜

"Toss her out." A female dressed fully in black commanded before making a move to leave.

A male voice promptly halted her steps. "But Mistress, the horse had run off not long ago and—"

"So?" The female cut in. "I do not see why that is a hindrance to your order."

"Mistress, it's dark out and with the wolves about—"

"Wolves _can't_ enter the property. You know that." She eyed her servant briefly then questioned, "What are you up to?"

"Nothing, Mistress. I merely think casting the woman out to the cold is…"

"… … … Fine. Bring her to him and keep a close eye on her."

* * *

"Aunt Aerith, where are you?" Roxas Strife muttered under his breath, glancing around the barren woods for any sign of his godmother. They had been galloping for what felt like hours and Roxas began to feel the strain of riding saddleless. It was a miracle he hadn't fallen off Buster yet.

The blond ducked his head lower to avoid another low-lying branch, leaning forward and closer to Buster. He could feel the powerful back muscles of their family stallion at work, his coat and mane damp from sweat, and his heart thumped fast and strong in his chest.

Roxas's own heart was beating just as fast.

 _Where could Aunt Aerith be? Why is Buster saddleless? Could she be in Radiant Garden already? But why would Buster come back for help? It doesn't make sense!_ The young man gulped heavily as an unpleasant thought came next. _What if she was heavily injured and…_

Instantaneously, Roxas felt a wave of nausea overcame him. _No… No!_ He clenched his fists tighter onto Buster's mane, struggling to keep his balance from the growing dizziness. _Aunt Aerith is strong! Goddess forbids, don't you ever dare think she's gone!_

He tried to gulp but failed, his chest heaving so fast it hurt. _Aunt Aerith's fine! Uncle Zack always said she's a tough cookie._

Roxas let out a shaky gasp then breathed in a long breath, filling his lungs. _She's fine! She's fine!_

He chanted that mantra over and over in his head until he could breathe normally and the vertigo subsided.

When Roxas managed to get a secure grip on his emotions, he noticed a change in Buster's speed. The stallion was cantering.

 _Are we near?_ The blond leaned back and switched into the appropriate sitting position. He looked up in time to see a tall iron fence up ahead at his right, covered heavily by climbing ivy and rusted in numerous areas.

Roxas perked up at the sight. A fence meant a property, and within a property there's shelter, and shelter provides protection from the element. _She'll be fine. Please let her be fine._

The canter transitioned into a trot seconds before Buster made a turn and passed through two wide-open gates. Roxas couldn't stop the soft utter of 'wow' from his mouth when he was greeted by the magnificent view of the Valenhart Castle. He had read and saw illustrations of the residence back home, but seeing it with his own eyes was a whole new experience. He never imagined the castle to be so massive. It was smaller than the one in the capital, but its size was not one to scoff at either. Roxas almost need to tilt his head back all the way back just to see the top of the highest roof.

Buster slowed to a walk and stopped at the castle's porch, where Roxas noticed Aerith had parked the cart. The spiky-haired blond quickly dismounted and rushed over to the cart to examine it. The wooden vehicle earned a few new cracks on the wheels and the sight of the overturned flower pots unnerved Roxas. Something had happened. Something bad.

"The saddle and bridle are in the cart," Roxas muttered, walking back to the gray stallion. "She's in the castle right, Buster?"

The horse nodded, panting heavily from all the running he had done in the past hours.

"Good boy, Buster." Roxas shrugged off his winter cloak then draped it onto the horse's back as a makeshift blanket. "Rest right here, boy. I'll bring Aunt Aerith back. I promise."

With that, Roxas rushed up to the castle's front door.

"Aunt Aerith!" The young man's shout penetrated the silence of the castle as he burst in, echoing down the empty hallways. He didn't react when the heavy door slammed shut behind him; too preoccupied with yelling his lungs out. "It's me, Roxas! Where are you?!" He would have taken the time to appreciate the exquisite decors in the foyer if his mind wasn't so fixated on his goal.

"Can you hear me?! Aunt Aerith! Answer me!" The blond called out, straining his ears to listen for his godmother's voice, then stiffened.

He heard something from above him, up at the balcony that overlooked the foyer. It was faint, so slight and distant, it might have been a product of his imagination. But he swore to Goddess he heard it, it was real — the whisperings.

 _'… newcomer…_ … … _in one night…'_

 _'… the woman…_ … _don't…_ … _return…'_

 _'… no…_ … _chance…_ … … _down…'_

"A-Aunt Aerith?" Roxas uttered uncertainly. "Is that you?"

Like a shot, the whispers died. The whole foyer fell back into silence, the only sound left was Roxas's controlled breathing. The young man craned his neck, trying to spot anything — or anyone — above, but all he could see was darkness. Who could it be? Stories shared in the restaurant where he worked resurfaced in his mind, but he pushed them aside. Those tales were told from lips that had drunk mug after mug of ale. They were gibberish, incoherent, and lacked evidence. His verdict was simple: The spirits they spoke of didn't exist. For if spirits do exist, _it_ would have worked. "Who's there?"

Silence answered him and Roxas felt apprehensive about climbing the stairs to check on the source. "Goddess… Maybe I am hearing things?" He groaned in frustration, bringing a hand up to massage his temple.

His action was halted when a glowing yellow orb revealed itself from the balcony and descended towards him. Caught in surprise, Roxas could only stare as the orb glided down in a manner that was almost… innocent.

 _A firefly?_ The blond contemplated then dismissed it as impossible. _No. It's too big; about the size of my fist._ The orb stopped an arm's reach from his face, hovering in the air as if out of curiosity. _Too bright too. And the color is different; there's a tint of… white?_

The glowing orb moved again, slowly circling around his form as if it was his boss from the restaurant, inspecting him and the rest of the staff, making sure their uniform and appearance were clean and presentable for the day.

Whenever the orb drew near his peripheral vision, Roxas would turn his body so he could keep his eyes on the strange sphere. Clearly, this orb was uncommon in nature. He racked his brain, searching through all the information he had read over the years, but nothing came up close to what was before him. For that meantime, he stayed quiet and watched the orb carefully, anticipating for its next movement.

After it circled around him twice, Roxas noticed something on the orb's surface that wasn't there before. It was a single, horizontal line; its length half of the sphere's diameter. His brows furrowed. _What's that?_

Suddenly, the line twitched and split apart, revealing an eye. Roxas yelped in shock, stumbling back.

The piercing cyan-colored eye fixated on the young man, its unblinking gaze sent shivers down his spine. The next thing he knew, the glowing sphere floated toward him.

Roxas promptly backed away, heart hammering hard in his chest as he desperately tried to find a solution. _What should I do—what should I do—what in the name of Kingdom Hearts is_ _ **that**_ _?!_

As if it feeds on fear, the whole eye shifted to a side before an identical eye formed right next to it. The pair of eyes took up almost half of the orb's upper body, the midnight black pupils staring him down as it continued to creep closer.

"What in the world are you?! Stay away!" Roxas commanded, but it was to no avail. He soon found himself backed up against a dusty couch. The yellow orb inched closer. His hand frantically searched behind his back for anything of use. When his fingers touched something loose, he didn't think twice, just grabbed it and hurled it towards the glowing orb.

The orb evaded the attack easily, but it did cut short its advancement. The pair of eyes shifted its gaze to the item that had landed on the floor, which turned out to be an old cushion, before back at the thrower. Roxas gulped, looking at his harmless weapon in defeat then focusing back on the floating sphere. _What will it do now? Attack me for attacking it? Or_ —

Out of the blue, the astomatous orb laughed.

"W-What…?"

Its laughter was a low rumbling with a crackling undertone, like the sound of an approaching thunderstorm heavy with rain and lightning. The pair of eyes were closed, its round body trembled as if it was a normal person, roaring with laughter until their stomach aches. Roxas stood transfixed, trying to comprehend the unforeseen sight in front of him. All of a sudden, a sharp crack emitted from the orb. Its laughter grew louder, higher in pitch, and accompanied with what sounded like cracking bones.

Roxas sucked in a breath. The orb was growing bigger, a large mouth split across its face, almost the whole bottom part, revealing rows of dangerous knifelike teeth. By the time its laughter had subsided, the orb had grown at least fifty times its previous size. Its glow was so bright it illuminated half of the foyer.

"Oh Goddess…" Roxas muttered, hoping his eyes were playing tricks him. Please, oh please let it be anything else but _this_! "It looks like a Bomb…"

Indeed, the innocent-looking orb from before now looked almost identical with a type of monsters that lived in a faraway land, named 'Bomb'. "This can't be one though…" Roxas observed. "The books describe them as a ball of red fire with hands. But… This is…" Different. It glowed a bright yellowish-white, numerous long and slim jagged white lines skittered across the surface. Its large eyes were cyan instead of orange and it also lacked the distinguished clawed hands all Bomb monsters possessed. So, if it was not a Bomb… "What are you?"

The creature sent him what resembled a smirk; the edge reaching its eye.

 _ **"**_ _ **I'm**_ _**your worst nightmare."**_

It lunged at Roxas with astounding speed, its mouth wide open and baring razor-sharp teeth. Roxas dodged the monster at the last few seconds, and landed on his side, kicking up dust into the air. He coughed and groaned from the impact, wiping a hand across his face while using the other to push himself back to his knees.

The young man turned to the giant orb just in time to see it arched into the air then dived straight at him. He ducked, and the monster flew passed right above him, leaving a crackling sound in its trail. "Ugh!" Roxas grunted, covering his ears from a sharp pain the noise had caused.

 _ **"Careful now… Cause here I come!"**_ Roxas dodged the next attack with a roll. The monster missed his boots by only an inch.

He cursed lowly. Defenseless and obviously overpowered, Roxas knew he had to leave before it was too late. That monster was playing with him; like a cat playing with its prey. Eventually, it will grow bored and land the final, deadly blow.

Ignoring the slight ringing in his ears, once the blond saw his chance, he scrambled up to his feet and ran, towards the left hallway which was closest to him.

 _ **"Yes! Run, mortal, run! But we will have you!**_ _ **Gwa**_ _**ha**_ _**ha**_ _**ha**_ _ **!"**_ Roxas heard the monster bellowed behind him, but he didn't bother to turn and check if it was pursuing him. He came here with one thing and only one thing in mind, and Goddess forbids if he decided to ditch it. He _will_ get Aerith Gainsborough Fair out of here even if it kills him.

* * *

A certain lightning monster laughed menacingly before it decided it was enough and the young man was no longer in earshot. With one last chuckle, its large, round body shifted and distorted, and its yellow glow dimmed like a dying ember.

In the end, what hovered in the space where a 'Bomb-look-alike' monster was seconds earlier, was a female silhouette with two antennae-like strands on her head, glowing a soft yellow. Her body from the waist below faded out of existence, concealing her real height. The female crossed her arms and sighed contently. Oh, how much she had missed this feeling!

In the next second, a faintly flickering red orb popped into existence beside her, before it grew and formed into a male silhouette with noticeable long, spiky hair. Like the female, his lower body also faded into nothingness and his arms were folded too. Him, however, was not happy with the situation at all.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Hmm? You still don't think it is?" The female replied playfully, bringing a finger up to her featureless face.

The man groaned and dragged a hand across the blank face of his own. "No. I don't. Like I said earlier, he clearly came for the woman! We should have just left him be, let him find her and get her home or something."

The female scoffed then placed her hand on her hip. "Whatever. It's been so long since someone showed up. Can't even let me have some fun?"

"Not to the extent where you almost accidentally kill him!"

"Almost?! Accidentally?! HA! As if I would; I had it _all_ under control," she assured, chin up like a proud lioness." You see it yourself. No need to get so uptight, flamehead."

"I am not. Plus, ' _I'm your worst nightmare_ '? Really?"

"What? It works all the time before." Memories that exact line brought up caused her to snicker. "Gosh, I miss seeing fear on their pathetic faces. Now… when did I last scared someone? Was it that thief from last Autumn?"

"A savage as always… And no. It was last year's Summer," the man sighed then gestured. "Come on. We need to notify Mistress. After that huge commotion you've caused, I'm sure someone will surely ' _have him_ '."

With a 'tsk' as her reply, the two spirits flew up and faded away.

* * *

Roxas forcefully pushed against the door, and like the two he encountered before, it was locked tight. "Damn it. Come on!" He shook the handles, but the large, heavy doors refused to crack open. "Curses!" Roxas yell then kicked the door in a fit of anger. The bang on wood echoed loudly through the hallway.

"Goddess… How can I find Aunt Aerith at this rate?!" He continued to fume, both his worry and frustration were making him jumpy, like a coiled spring that had been wound too tight. _What if she was locked in a room somewhere? Could she be in one of those I just passed? How can I open them? Where's the key?_

His train of thought was cut short by the sound of a water splash. He glanced around the area, finding nothing out of the ordinary until he looked down. His right shoe was standing in the middle of a water puddle.

"Huh? That wasn't here before." Roxas tried to move his foot away only to realize he couldn't budge. "What the…" He tried again, lifting his leg up as much as he could. He succeeded, but the water clung to his leather boot, like the animal glue Hayner traded from an alchemist from one of his travels back. "What is this?!"

Roxas shook his foot, sending water droplets flying around, but the substance still grasped on tight. Irritated, he continued to thrash about until he lost his balance and fell onto his rear. Roxas groaned from the fall and had just decided to try prying the 'water' off when he noticed it stirred.

The water puddle was growing, but it didn't spread out as it should be, instead, it was growing taller. The water that clung to Roxas's shoe morphed and split until the result had Roxas let out a startled shout. It was a hand. A hand was grabbing him by the ankle.

"Let go! Let me go!" The blond yelled, pulling his leg while trying to scramble back with his hands simultaneously. The hand held on, its fingers dug into the leather. The growing puddle rippled and distorted as something began to form.

At first, Roxas couldn't make out what it was. It looked like a huge blob, something half-solid, half-liquid; gooey, thick and lumpy. However, when the water flowed to shape an oval, connected to a short cylinder followed by something broader, the realization struck him.

It was another monster. A humanoid monster.

"Let me go! I said let me go!" Roxas barked, panic seized him as he looked about frantically for something to use but he found nothing. He glanced back at the water monster. It had spawned a second hand.

 _Please merciful Goddess, no!_ He could hear the blood pumping in his ears; it was loud, so loud he couldn't hear anything, couldn't think. Couldn't do anything but to tug, tug, tug his foot back madly, desperately wanting nothing but to escape. The monster had just finished forming its torso when finally, Roxas's foot slid out from the tight confinement of his boot.

"Whoa!" He yelped from the sudden release, collapsing backward. The blond wasted no time; lurched to his feet and turned to run. His knees felt like noodles, causing him to stumble. But he pressed on, dashing away from that monstrosity like it was Death itself.

He heard something drop onto the floor before the sound of water splashing began once more. Roxas turned to look over his shoulder and immediately regretted his decision.

The water monster was coming after him. Its long arms stretched far, fingers scrabbling onto the marble tiles, dragging itself towards him with unimaginable speed. Its featureless face let out a low gurgle, and Roxas could feel its nonexistent gaze locked onto him.

 _Oh Goddess! Oh Goddess! What should I do?!_ Roxas had no time to react when a window closest to him suddenly flung wide open, and a huge gust of freezing cold wind blasted straight to him. The dusty and moth-eaten curtains flapped loudly in the wind as it blew the young man off his feet and crashed onto the ground.

"Ah!" He yelped, landing on his side. Disoriented from the sudden fall, Roxas pushed himself up from the floor with a groan, only to feel his hands pressed against something small and cold. He turned his hand to examine. "W-What? Ice?"

Without warning, another gust of wind blew into the hallway, glittering under the moonlight. Roxas ducked back down for safety just as it blew past above him, tousling his hair and showering down more pieces of ice.

The sparkling gust of wind twirled in the air before diving back towards him. Roxas had stumbled back to his feet but couldn't react fast enough to the breeze aiming at his face. He wasn't even able to manage a shout when it suddenly curved, missing his head by inches before swiftly circled around him.

The current of air grew bigger and taller, the ice crystals carried by the gale multiplied in number until a whirling wall closely packed with sparkling frost surrounded Roxas, devoid of any escape route.

"It's another monster," Roxas concluded with wide eyes, the spinning wall reminded him of the innocent-looking orb that had tried to kill him not so long ago. "It's trapping me here…" Roxas turned back and saw the water monster was only a few feet away. "…so _that_ can get me."

 _Oh no, they won't!_ Surprising the newly arrived monster and even himself, Roxas jumped through the circling gale, ignoring the ice shards cutting into his unprotected skin, drawing up beads of blood. He landed with a wobble and would have crashed to the floor if he hadn't caught his footing on time.

Both of the monsters halted, staring at the young man as if in disbelief until he gave them one quick look and took off running. The water monster immediately gave chase, gurgling as it went. The icy wall twisted into itself, the many small ice crystals merged and grew until it formed a human shape with rigid, long hair. Its solid, transparent body gleamed under the pale moonlight as it glided in the air, joining the pursuit.

Roxas rushed over to the nearest window and pushed the heavy curtain aside. He frantically searched for a handle, only to groan when he couldn't open it. "Damn!" He glanced down the hallway and saw the monsters hot on his trail, closing the distance by the seconds.

He knew he couldn't keep on running; the hall would eventually reach an end. He needed a plan, a way to shake his pursuers off, fast. Roxas quickly dashed to the next door in the hall, hoping it would be unlocked and maybe have something he could use. But yet again, luck was not in his favor that night.

"Why is everything locked in this place?!" He had just turned away from the door when the sound of splashing water stopped. Instead, a sound like heavy rain entered his ears. Curious as ever, he stopped in his track to look back and gasped at the sight.

The water monster had stopped chasing him and had both of its hands raised above its head. Behind it, a wall of water — a wave, he recalled — was growing taller. Hovering in the air beside the wave, the ice monster was conjuring an ice sphere in its open palm. From the short time he spent in the castle, Roxas knew darn well that anything grows in size in a matter of seconds meant nothing but trouble.

He didn't stay to see what would occur; Roxas promptly tore his gaze away and turned to flee.

What happened next was all a blur. He remembered the sound of the wave intensified. Something strong crashed into him from behind, the force knocked him off his feet. He yelped. He was falling forward, but in the next second, he wasn't. Something held him back. Roxas was still in a state of shock until he felt his bare foot was freezing cold and couldn't move. He looked down and felt his heart jumped to his throat.

His whole lower body was encased in ice.

 _No…_

Roxas balled up his fists and hit the ice trapping him immediately. One hit. Five. Ten. There wasn't even a single crack. _No—no—no!_ He kept on pounding on the frozen water, refusing to give up, even when his knuckles began to hurt, the skin broke and drew blood.

The young man would have kept hammering on with his bruised fists if a low gurgle hadn't snapped him out of it.

Roxas turned his head to the source, and saw the water monster not far behind him, standing on fully formed legs. Its face was still nothing but a blank slate, but for a moment, Roxas thought he saw it pouted.

"WHAT?!" The monsters drew back at the young man's outburst. "What do you all want with me?!" Roxas demanded, all his worries and fear melted into pure, unadulterated anger. All he ever wanted was to find Aunt Aerith then bring her home safe and sound. Was that too much to ask in this apparently monster-ridden castle?!

"WELL?!" Roxas barked, slamming his fist down on the ice. "If you want to kill me, then do it! What's this for?!"

The water and ice monsters simply stared at him mutely.

Roxas was about to yell again when the tapping of heeled shoes stopped him. He slowly turned his head toward the source of the sound, and just like the two monsters, all he could do next was stare. Walking down the moonlit hallway, approaching them, was a woman. From head to toe, she was covered in black; the dark clothing hid anything that could prove her humanity away from every eye. She sauntered down the hall as if she owns both the castle and all the time in the world. Begrudgingly, Roxas supposed the former was a half-truth…

"Mother of Witchcraft…" Roxas muttered just as the woman stopped a few feet from him. Behind those thick veil, Roxas was certain she was sizing him up, and it irked him that he couldn't read her expression.

"My my… It seems like we have caught ourselves another trespasser tonight," the witch spoke. The young man lifted an eyebrow. He had not expected the infamous Mother of Witchcraft to possess such a soft-spoken voice. In fact, her voice reminded him of Namine's — minus all the friendliness, of course.

The witch turned her attention over to the monsters. "You two have done well. You may be dismissed." Roxas turned to watch the two elemental monsters bowed to her. The ice monster promptly crumbled and faded into frost while the other sank down into a puddle before shrank in size and disappeared altogether. If he wasn't still held captive by the ice, it was like those two monsters never existed in the first place.

"Now…" Roxas snapped his eyes back onto the witch. "What should we do with you?" She had a finger held up to her face — where he guessed was her chin — tapping it slowly as if in thought.

"Where is she?" Roxas asked, low but serious.

The witch tilted her head slightly. "Who?"

The blond felt heat flushed through his body and he slammed a fist against the ice. "You know who. Where is she? I swear if she's hurt, I'll—"

"Kill me. Right?" The witch finished with a sigh. "What else would you be here for? Everyone who ever set foot here had either planned to steal or swear to have my head." She paused to examine Roxas once more. "I bet you came here for the same reason."

"I didn't even believe you exist until now," he spat and struggled in his icy prison fruitlessly.

"Oh, really?" There was a touch of sarcasm in her voice. "Why are you here then if you do not believe in my existence?"

Roxas's brows furrowed in frustration. "You know why. Stop playing with me. Where is she?"

The witch shrugged half-heartedly. "Somewhere. Maybe in a bedchamber? In the throne room? Or… In the dungeon?"

Roxas froze. Dun-Dungeon?! "WHAT?!" He yelled, his body moved to lunge at the witch almost instinctively, but the ice held him in place. Roxas growled then jabbed a finger at her face. "How **Dare** You! What has she ever done to you, you witch?!"

"What has she done?" The woman huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "I will tell you what. That _thief_ planned to steal from the library. No one, and I mean no one, can ever dream of leaving this place with what is not rightfully theirs. _Especially_ _my books_!"

"Ridiculous!" Roxas snarled. "Aunt Aerith will never steal anything!"

"Then explain why is she here!"

"I don't know! I don't know, alright?! Something must have happened in the woods and she ended up here!"

"Well, that sounds all too coincidental, doesn't it?!"

"How should I know?!" Roxas struggled against the ice again. "All I know is that she's here. Free me so I can find her!"

"And provides you the chance to stab me in the back? Absolutely not!"

Roxas let out a groan and brushed a hand through his hair in exasperation. "For Goddess's sake… I don't care if you're dead or alive as long as Aunt Aerith's fine. Just answer me… WHERE. IS. SHE?!"

Roxas huffed in anger, glaring daggers at her, but it didn't seem to faze the witch in the slightest. Instead, she was awfully silent for the next few minutes, her line of vision never leaving the young man as she snapped her finger.

To his left, Roxas heard the whoosh of a fire just as an orb flashed into existence. Unlike the orb he encountered in the foyer, this one was red and burning like a fireball. As it began to shift and increase in size, Roxas felt panic building inside him. _Did she summon a Bomb?_ However, when the orb didn't shape into a giant sphere, he knew his assumption was wrong. The new fire monster formed into a complete human silhouette as it hovered a few inches off the ground. Unlike the bald water monster, this one had a noticeably long hairstyle and its height towered over his by at least a head. Its whole body flickered and glowed a warm red, orange and yellow, lighting up the space around it like a welcoming hearth. Identical to the two monsters before, its face was also featureless.

"Now…" The witch spoke, and Roxas turned his gaze back to her. "Shall we make a deal? You are aching to meet this… 'Aunt Aerith' of yours, aren't you?"

Roxas raised an eyebrow but nodded.

"Very well. I shall bring you to her."

* * *

 **And that's the end of Chap 3. Will the Mother of Witchcraft kept her words? Is Aerith safe? Next chapter will be up soon! I promise!**

 **Thank you for sticking with me and my story. I don't deserve this patience of yours.**

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	5. Chap 4: The Deal with the Wicked

**... I really don't have much to say. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, this chapter update is delayed. I am terribly sorry for the lengthy wait.**

 **Please enjoy.**

* * *

 **Charming and the Witch**

 **Chapter 4: The Deal with the Wicked**

 _"I… I don't—"_

 _"Patience, my child."_

 _As it cleared, she saw a small crystal vial then she froze, at a loss for words._

〜∗〜∗〜 Charming and The Witch 〜∗〜∗〜

Roxas didn't realize he had been holding his breath until his lungs burned, and he let it all out in a rattling gasp. His wide-open eyes remained locked on the young woman stood before him. Her last sentence echoed in his head.

Did… Did she say what he thought she did?

"You—" He gulped, wetting his dry throat. "You will?"

The young woman nodded. "Yes. But only if you come with me quietly and with no resistance. If you so much as make one suspicious move," she motioned to the fire monster hovering close to them, "my servant will not hesitate to end you."

Roxas shot her a frown. Of course, she won't just bring him to Aunt Aerith so easily. She was the Mother of Witchcraft! The witch who supposedly murdered all the inhabitants in the Vallenhart's Castle and now, for some reason or other, was living in said castle.

Roxas closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, feeling the anger within him diminishing. "Fine," he agreed. What else could he do while trapped waist-to-toes in solid ice? "But if she's hurt, you'll be sorry."

The witch in black simply waved off his threat as if it was an annoying bug. She turned her head to the monster. "Melt the ice."

The fire monster bowed then floated towards their trapped 'visitor'. Its hands glowed brighter as it neared and Roxas could feel the intense heat radiated from them. The monster stopped about a foot away then raised its hands to the ice, which began to melt almost instantly. The procedure continued for the next few minutes as the fire monster carried out his order, turning solid ice into a growing puddle. Soon, the ice had thinned and Roxas could move his legs. Slowly and cautiously, he stepped out of the cold confinement and hissed as his feet contacted the wet tile. His numbed legs trembled, struggling not to buckle beneath his weight.

"Come on." The sound of clicking heels came afterward, walking away from him. "I dislike wasting my time…"

Roxas looked up to see the witch's retreating form then glanced back at the fire monster who gestured him to follow its mistress. Knowing there was nothing he could do — and he had agreed to be cooperative — Roxas quietly did as he was told.

They walked in a single file down the quiet hallway; the witch leading the way, and the fire monster at the back, keeping a close watch on the young man in front. Roxas stayed silent, maintaining a comfortable, two-arms distance between him and his captors. Keeping his head still so as not to cause any suspicion, Roxas flickered his glance around the hall, trying to picture the castle's layout in his head while memorizing items from the surrounding, which might aid in their escape once he found Aerith. They passed a landscape painting of a mountain range. Turned right at the end of the corridor decorated with a console table and an empty decorative vase. Down a narrower, darker hall and passed another framed art depicting an open field of white dandelions. Finally, they exited the short corridor and—

"W-Wow…"

—entered the open hallway facing out onto the castle's inner circular courtyard which was converted into a massive conservatory.

The air was significantly warmer, and the moonlight spilled in from the dome glass ceiling illuminated the large indoor garden with a pale silvery blue glow, casting shadows under the trees and onto the stone tiles. Roxas felt a flutter in his belly and let out a soft, shallow sigh. The sight reminded him of a time in his childhood, so many, many years ago. There were fireflies, soft laughter, warm arms scooped him up into a protective embrace, wine-red eyes—

"—hear me?" A female voice snapped him out of the past and brought him back to the present. He blinked once, then twice before turning to the witch with a blank look.

"Wha-What?"

The young woman tilted her head to the side. "You spaced out."

"O-Oh," Roxas uttered, looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's… It's nothing…"

The witch didn't appear convinced by Roxas's statement, but she remained silent. The young man shifted his weight from one foot to another. Even without looking her way, he could feel her hidden gaze on him. Studying him, dissecting him. He frowned. _Why isn't she moving?!_

"What is it?" He turned to face her. "Can you just continue lead—"

A yell cut through the air before promptly followed by the sound of something — or someone — fell onto the ground. Roxas snapped his head towards the indoor garden, eyes wide, face ashen. He recognized that scream. She was here. He ran off without another thought, deeper into the conservatory, not acknowledging the shout calling out from behind him.

"Aunt Aerith!" Roxas yelled, frantically scanning past the numerous closely packed flowerbeds, dense hedges, and trees that reached high to the sky for any sight of his godmother. As he neared the center of the garden, Roxas could feel the rough stone tiles beneath his feet turning soft and gritty. He slowed his running to look down at the soil which clung to his shoe and foot; he could feel that it was rich, fertile, and damp. _W-What?_ He shook his head, he shouldn't ponder it further, finding Aerith was his top priority!

Roxas was about to call out Aerith's name but in the next instant, he spotted her through the leaves of several unknown plants, sitting on the ground with her back to him. The blond felt as if the weight of two dozen books were off his shoulders and a sigh escaped his lungs.

"Thank Goddess." Roxas hurried over to her side and dropped onto his knees. "Aunt Aerith! I'm so glad I found you. It's me, Roxas. Are you hurt?" He rambled, hands placed onto the brunette's shoulders, fearing she would disappear if he let go. However, Aerith didn't respond and continued to stare forward, her eyes opened wide and her lips parted as if in awe.

Roxas followed her stare and let out a surprised yelp.

About 50 feet away from them, stood at least double of Roxas's height, was a giant pink rose. Its stem was as thick as a tree trunk, its only two leaves (one on either side) were the size of a door combined, and the fully bloomed flower was massive — at least 5 feet in diameter. However, it wasn't only the sheer size of the rose that shocked him. No. What had him tightening his grips on Aerith's shoulders and shuffling them both a few steps back was because the gargantuan rose was _coming_ towards them.

The plant moved almost soundlessly, but Roxas could hear the soil upturning and leaves rustling louder and clearer as it closed in on them. It bent its stem near the base of the flower as though it has a neck until the rose was in full view for the duo. Roxas heard Aerith gasped. "Wh-What is _that_?" In the middle of the flower, surrounded by layers and layers of pink petals, was a face. Like many of the monsters Roxas had encountered in the castle, the face of the rose was a blank canvas too. Its color and texture were identical with the petals framing it.

Something glowing shot towards the duo from between the rose's leaves and Roxas yelled, "LOOK OUT!" He shoved Aerith aside while falling backward himself. A shining, fist-sized silver orb shot past them, missed by a few inches, before bursting into a puff of magical sparks after striking the ground.

Roxas scrambled back to his feet and went to help Aerith up. The giant rose attacked again but missed Roxas's head a second too late when Aerith's legs failed her, pulling the blond man down along to their knees.

"Aunt Aerith! What is it?! Are you hurt?!" Had he pushed her too hard? Had the hedge behind her injured her in the fall? Was she bleeding?

The middle-aged brunette was gasping for air, her whole form trembling like a leaf in fall, clutching onto her godson with dear life. She shook her head. "I…" Aerith whimpered, "I can't move my legs…"

Roxas twisted his head to the rose monster. Silver magic began to form at the tip of its adjoining leaves.

"Aunt Aerith, try again. We must go!" Roxas hooked an arm around Aerith and pulled her up. However, the moment her toes touched the ground, her wobbly knees buckled under her and Aerith collapsed back down. "Aunt Aerith!"

Roxas glanced over at the flower monster and his heart jumped into his throat at the sight.

The swirling orb of magic was thrice the size of the previous two.

"Please! We have to go!" Roxas urged, trying to hoist his godmother by the armpit. Aerith grabbed onto the hedge beside her, trying to pull herself up.

The monster raised a leaf. A magic orb hovered at the tip.

The twigs in Aerith's grip snapped, and she knelt down with a yelp.

"Are you alright?!"

"I-I'm fine."

Roxas quickly turned to see the giant plant. It was aiming.

The young man's breath halted in his lungs. There was no more time.

In the next second, the silver orb was flung towards their direction.

What happened next was a fast blur; he remembered releasing Aerith, leaped behind her, his back to the attack while he wrapped his arms protectively around his godmother, there was a shout then—

 _SWOOOOSSSSHHHHHH!_

A sudden strong gust of wind blew past, tousling both Aerith and Roxas's hair and blew the duo off their feet, but the hedge caught them and kept them upright. The sound of thousands rustling leaves filled the conservatory, so loudly no one heard the magic sphere being blown away before exploded onto a tree trunk nearby, showering millions of silver sparkles around before fading away. Soon, the wind died away, and the garden was silent once more.

Roxas didn't open his eyes at once. He waited for pain and agony to erupt from his back, for a root to grab him by the ankle. He waited for anything to happen. However, after what felt like hours, nothing did. No pain. No agony. No physical or magical attacks. Nothing.

Curiously, and cautiously, he opened his eyes.

The soil around them was littered with leaves, undoubtedly due to the odd wind. Roxas hastily pushed himself off the hedge and looked behind his shoulder. Standing in front of the giant rose was none other than the Mother of Witchcraft, muttering something incoherent to the flower. Near to them was the fire monster, hovering higher than before, as if avoiding touching the surrounding plants.

Roxas turned his head back to his godmother who had her back facing him. Her trembling form didn't escape Roxas's notice. "Aunt Aerith," he said, almost in a whisper. "Everything's fine now. Can you turn to me?"

Aerith seems reluctant but slowly turned her head with one eye cracked open as if afraid of seeing what she'll find. Once her sight landed on Roxas, both of her eyes snapped wide open. "ROXAS!" She practically yelled, twirled her whole body around and slapped her palms onto the young man's cheeks, pinching them hard. "It _is_ you!"

"Ow ow ow! Aunt Aerith." Roxas grabbed a hold of her wrists and tugged on them. "That hurts. Please, stop."

The woman got his message and let go. A smile of relief plastered on her face. "So I wasn't seeing things. Oh, thank Goddess you're alright. I thought I'd lost you! I felt you moved and I know you will take the hit…" The brunette sniffed as an image crossed her mind then hit Roxas on the shoulder. "If you do something like that again young man, you're in big trouble."

The blond pouted as he rubbed the spot Aerith hit him. He bowed his head. "Sor—" With no warning, Aerith pulled Roxas into a tight hug, cutting off his apology mid-sentence.

"Oh, Roxy… I can't believe it's you. You're here. You're—Wait." Aerith broke the hug and held him at arm's length. " _You_ _'re here?!_ Wh-What are you doing here?! _Why_ are you here?! Is that…" She moved a hand to trace a cut on Roxas's right cheek. "That is new!" The brunette exclaimed then proceeded to inspect her godson from head to toes. "What happened?! There are cuts on your hands. On your clothes too? You looked like a mess! And— _Where is your shoe_?!"

"U-Um… I can explain?"

Aerith was about to retort when a calm voice spoke. "I apologize for cutting this reunion short…"

Roxas swiftly turned around, an arm extended out to protect his godmother instinctively as he looked up at the witch standing close to him. Her arms were at her sides and looked somewhat indifferent about the whole situation.

"… but we have something important to tell both of you." Roxas's brows furrowed. Her tone was anything but apologetic.

All of a sudden, the surrounding floras shifted, leaves rustling as they receded until the three humans were in a middle of a small clearing, providing enough space for the fire monster to hover closer to the ground and joined its mistress' side. The two outsiders had scrambled up to their feet during the plant's relocation, fearing of another attack. Even once the moving had stopped, Roxas refused to drop his guard. "And what would that be?" He questioned the witch.

The Mother of Witchcraft sighed. "You both are going to the dungeons."

"WHAT?!" "NO!"

The vein on his temple twitched, and Roxas's tone deepened with anger. "Are you playing with us?!"

"Absolutely not. 'Playing around' is not on my to-do list."

"Who do you think you are?! You can't keep us here against our will!" Roxas protested, his voice growing louder. "You have no rights!"

"This is _**not**_ up for discussion," the witch said with an underlying tone of annoyance to her voice. "If I say to the dungeons, then you two are going to the dungeons. That is _**final**_."

Roxas strode up to the witch, his eyes fixed hard upon her, hands clenched at his sides. "WE REFUSE!"

The next thing he knew, the fire monster zipped towards him and shoved him back. Roxas felt fire tore through his shirt like a knife through butter, and the intense heat burned his shoulder. He yelled from the pain, pulling away to safety, stumbling backward until Aerith caught him and held him tight. "Roxas! Oh, dear Goddess! Are you alright?"

Roxas hissed and nodded. Aerith quickly examined his wound. There was an obvious red burn mark on his skin — almost in the shape of a hand — and it was beginning to swell. Thankfully, the injury wasn't serious, and the pain was bearable, but it stung whenever he moved his arm.

"You should not have done that," the witch stated plainly. "You were a bit too close. That was why my servant intervened." She then shook her head as though Roxas was a little kid who had done something that disappointed her. "You should have known better than trying to lay a finger on me."

Roxas scowled. "I wasn't planning to."

The Mother of Witchcraft shrugged. "Perhaps. Or you are bluffing. I, on the other hand, is speaking the truth. If anyone tries to harm me in any way, shape or form, my servants will not hesitate to retaliate. Tenfold."

There was a moment of silence as the information sank in for the outsiders. It was Aerith who broke the quietness. "Wh-Why are you holding us prisoner, though? The… The adventurers who came here in the past all came back safely."

The witch stayed silent for what felt like forever before answered, "You both have stayed too long, seen too much, and… met me face-to-face. And I could not simply allow those who have seen me leave my sight, ever. It is for safety purposes."

"Safety? You just told us you have servants who will kill without hesitation. What are you scared of just because we ran into you?" Roxas inquired with a raised brow and the witch scoffed.

"Ha… I do not mean _my_ safety, of course. I meant yours…" Roxas and Aerith looked at her in surprise. "… and the town. Perhaps even the whole kingdom." Aerith gasped in shock, while Roxas blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He asked, but it was Aerith who answered.

"Don't you understand, Roxas?" Her grip on his arm tightened. "She's going to kill us. She'll kill us all if we disobey her."

"You wouldn't!"

"No. Well… Not really," the black-clothed woman said, her arms loosely folded. "Imagine this: I let you go and you return to whichever town you came from then inform the townsfolk of your encounter with me. How will they react? Will they believe your words or dismiss it as a lie? Or perhaps they will deem you both as insane, delusional, and report it to Mister Pete Cummings to have you thrown into the asylum? And if they do believe you, what will they do? Nothing at all? Or will they gather and attack this castle, trying to finally end the Mother of Witchcraft who had taken the lives of innocence?"

Roxas noticed the witch's gloved fingers dug deeper into her arms before she continued with the same impassive voice. "Additionally, if they believe I had killed so many people, they would not want history to repeat itself now, would they? As you already know, my servants will take care of any who wishes me harm. So ultimately, instead of avenging the dead, they will only join them from the inevitable massacre."

She let out a soft sigh like she did multiple times before, another breath Roxas couldn't tell what feeling the witch was expressing. "That would be terrible, wouldn't it?"

He heard Aerith whimpered, noticeably upset by the thought of everyone she knew met the same fate as her husband. Roxas moved a hand to hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. "We will tell no one of this. Let us go."

The witch shook her head. "Too risky. I would rather keep you two here."

"What makes you think the townsfolk will ambush the castle?"

Roxas felt the witch's gaze fell on him, and he shifted in his spot from the intensity, no matter her eyes are visible or not. "For like anger, fear also drive people to carry out awful things…"

As her words hung in the air, cold and thick like the winter fog, Roxas knew without a doubt that the witch will never let them both leave, no matter how much they beg. But… There must be a way. This can't be their fate; living in a dingy dungeon until they either starve or froze to death, whichever comes first. No! He wouldn't allow it!

Roxas drew in a deep breath, then spoke, "Let my godmother go. I'll stay."

Still clutching to his arm, Aerith let out a sharp gasp. Even though he wasn't able to see the facial expression of his soon-to-be jailers, Roxas could tell his proposal had also caught them by surprise.

"NO!" Both the witch and Aerith yelled, and Roxas winced due to how close his godmother was.

"NO WAY!" The brunette in pink roughly grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him to face her, not caring if she had seized him by the burn. Because maybe — just maybe — the pain will snap him out of his stupid, self-sacrificing act. "What did I told you a few minutes ago?! Do you remember that, Roxas? Of course not, because you're doing it again!" Aerith fumed, her face flushed red. "Don't you dare risk your life for me _ever again_ , Roxas! Don't!"

Roxas felt a sinking feeling in his stomach when he noticed the gleam in Aerith's green eyes. Guilt tugged firmly at his heart. He knew his godmother will not agree to this decision of his. But even as she was shouting at him, scolding him, he felt no remorse.

"I'm not leaving without you, Roxas." Even with shaking hands, Aerith stood tall, strong, and refused to let a single tear drops. "I will _not_."

"Aunt Aerith, I—"

"I reject your proposition," the witch cut in. "There is no reason for me to let either of you to leave the castle. As I mentioned before, this is _not_ up for discussion."

Roxas turned to look towards her. "But there are reasons," he countered with a steady voice, his chin high, and shoulders back. "It is crucial that one of us returns to town. Keeping both of us here actually increase the chance of an ambush." Before the witch could retort, he quickly added. "I'm not lying. The likelihood is higher. Hear me out!"

The Mother of Witchcraft shifted her weight then lifted a hand up to her face, hidden behind the thick veil from her hat. Roxas momentarily wondered what was she doing. It was rather frustrating; not been able to see her expressions. He couldn't know what she was feeling, wouldn't be able to prepare for what she might do. She was unpredictable. Dangerous.

He would have to act before she does.

"Keeping us both here will cause confusion in our town," he began, "since we suddenly disappeared overnight and told no one of our departures. The townsfolk might not act at first, but as time pass and we're still missing, worries will take over and they'll talk. They will set up search parties, and travel to the other towns to ask about us. Once they do, they'll learn that my godmother had not shown up for the flower festival at Radiant Garden. That information alone will lead them here to the castle. There are only two roads connecting the capital and Twilight Town after all."

Roxas noticed the witch shifted her weight again. Was she bored? Annoyed? Or perhaps his reasoning has worried her? The blond continued, hoping it was the last reaction. "Even if you have removed our horse, our cart, everything that proves us been here, when the townspeople have no other leads, they will search the castle. Your so-called 'safety purposes' by keeping us here will be nothing but a lie."

The fire monster glanced over at its mistress, who remained silent.

"That's why I propose to let my godmother go. It must be her because someone is expecting her in Radiant Garden. As for mine, I'm sure Aunt Aerith can make up stories to cover it up."

"No," Aerith repeated, grabbing hold of Roxas's attention. "I meant it when I said I won't leave without you, Roxas."

The blond sighed. "I know you don't agree with me, Aunt Aerith, and I know you are terribly disappointed and angry. But if you don't go back, the townspeople will panic, and we don't want that to happen."

"B-But I can't just leave you here," Aerith said, a tremble to her voice. "I can't go back and act as if you're safe and everything's fine when I know they're not!"

"I'm sorry… But leaving me here is for the best." He managed a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about me."

Roxas turned his head back to the witch, and to his mild surprise, the flame monster was whispering something into its mistress's ear. Whether or not the witch was conversing back, he wouldn't be able to know even if he wanted to.

Soon, the fire monster pulled away, and the witch inquired after a short pause, "How can we be sure that your godmother would not alert the townsfolk? Without you, her story will be much more believable."

"Aunt Aerith will not put anyone in harm's way," Roxas answered. "She will tell no one about this encounter of ours." He turned to the brunette. "Right, Aunt Aerith?"

Aerith bit her lips, eyes locked with Roxas's. "I-I… I still don't think it's a good idea…"

"Please, Aunt Aerith." Roxas grabbed hold of her hand and squeezed it a bit desperately. "This is the only choice; everyone will be safe."

"But you—"

"I'll be safe. Trust me."

Aerith wanted to protest, slap her godson across the face for being too unselfish, march up to the Mother of Witchcraft and force her to swear not to hurt any of the townsfolk if they show up searching for them, then drag Roxas to the dungeons herself and finally lock themselves in. But, no. No matter how much she wanted to, no matter how much it hurts deep within, Aerith knew she can't do it. Because what he said was right…

"Fine… I will not," she uttered, then repeated, loud enough for their captors to hear. "I will not tell anyone."

The witch hummed in acknowledgment. "Do you–" she pointed a gloved finger at Roxas "–promise to stay here forever in exchange of freedom for your godmother, who shall not speak to another soul about what and who she had seen in this castle?"

Roxas took in a deep breath then nodded. His steady voice filled the silence of the conservatory. "You have my word."

"… Then the deal is done."

* * *

They walked back to the entrance in a bubble of uncomfortable silence. Roxas kept his eyes trained on the witch leading them, looking away only once or twice to check on his godmother who was trailing close beside him. Ever since he swore his freedom away to secure Aerith's own, the middle-aged brunette had refused to meet his eyes, nor spoke a word to him. She simply wrapped herself up in her winter cloak and followed them without any protest.

From the corner of his eye, Roxas could see his godmother, her head lowered and shoulders slumped. Guilt was like a parasite eating him up from the inside. He couldn't undo what he had done, and he didn't regret it — he kept Aerith safe. But he hated himself for upsetting her so much. He wanted to make amend, to let her know the words that lay heavy on his mind, but he couldn't — not with a fire monster near them at the rear of the group.

Once they entered the foyer, both Roxas and Aerith felt the drop in temperature instantly. Without a second layer of protection, the blond shivered from the frigid air and felt goosebumps rising on every inch of his skin. _No wonder_ , he thought, as his eyes followed every footstep of the young woman in black. _The two front doors are_ _wide open_ _._

As they neared the entrance, Roxas felt relief washed over him when he spotted their family horse well and alive and was waiting by the steps. Then, he stopped.

Hovering next to Buster was a shining silhouette, stroking his neck with a hand in a tender manner. It was similar to the flame monster, however, this one was glowing pink and white, shorter and also smaller, softer in frame. It looked like a form of a… young woman.

"Are you done?" The pink figure turned to the witch. Its face featureless like all the rest. It _(She?)_ nodded its _(_ _her_ _?)_ head before removing its hand from the gray stallion who remained surprisingly calm in their presence.

"Very well. You may go." The witch waved a hand in dismissal and the figure _(monster?)_ bowed politely before glided past her to enter the castle. Roxas watched it leave, but just before it passed the two outsiders, it stopped. Roxas arched a brow in confusion before he noticed the pink silhouette was staring at him.

"W-What are you looking at?" He asked, sounding harsher than he intended.

The pink figure seemed to be intimidated by his tone, its form stiffened then swiftly brought its hands up, as if to tell him it meant no harm. Roxas could feel its gaze lingered on him a few seconds more before it turned and flew past them, fading away with a trail of pale pink sparkles.

 _I wonder what_ _type_ _of monster_ _that_ _was_ , Roxas thought before the Mother of Witchcraft interrupted him.

"Well?" The witch said, gesturing to Buster. "Your horse would not saddle itself up, you know."

Roxas sent her a scowl then lead Aunt Aerith over to their cart and helped her prepare to leave the castle grounds.

The two of them worked in silence, lifting the toppled pots upright, and scooped back as much soil as they could. As Aerith continued to plant the uprooted flowers in the cart, Roxas grabbed the saddle and walked up to Buster. The gray stallion nickered in loving greeting as the blond approached him. "Hey, boy. Sorry to keep you waiting. Got enough rest?"

Buster nodded, causing Roxas to smile then stroke his neck affectionately. His coat was no longer damp with sweat and warm to the touch. The stallion was relaxed and as Roxas strapped the saddle to him, he noted Buster's heart rate was normal. It seems like Buster managed to get the rest he deserves while he was gone. "Good boy," he muttered while fitting the brittle, making sure they are comfortable yet secure.

He looked up to Buster's eyes, and the horse returned the gaze with a soft snort. Roxas gave him a tentative smile and a scratch on his neck, just behind the ear; Buster's favorite's spot. "Be a good boy and look after Aunt Aerith for me." He kept his voice low, audible only between them. "I can count on you like always, right?"

Once again, Buster seems to understand his pleas and nodded.

"Thank you, boy." Roxas scratched Buster a while more before dropping his hand. He'll miss their family horse dearly.

Roxas turned his head to the castle's entrance and saw the witch conversing (or at least it seemed like she was) to the ice monster that had attacked him earlier. The monster appeared to be asking her a question for the woman in black shook her head then dismissed it with a wave. After a bow, the ice monster disappeared into frost once more, leaving its mistress and the fire monster standing by the threshold.

Roxas turned away just before the witch could notice he had been eyeing her. He didn't feel like facing her; eye contact or not.

With one final tug on the cart's strap, Buster was all set to head off. Aerith climbed out of the cart but made no further move towards either her godson nor family horse. One of the brunette's hands lingered on the edge of the wooden cart, while the other was hidden beneath her cloak.

Roxas felt his chest tightened at the sight of his godmother's slumped posture. _She must still be angry with me…_

"It appears you are ready to depart," the witch spoke, effectively captured both of the outsiders' full attention. "You have mentioned Radiant Garden earlier, have you not?" Roxas gave her a curt nod. "Very well. Once you have exited the front gate, turn left and keep riding until you reached a fork in the road. Take the right and follow the path. It will lead you all the way to the capital."

"Will that trail be safe from wolves?" Roxas demanded. The last thing he wanted is the witch leading Aerith straight into danger.

"I assure you, your godmother will be safe; her death would not benefit me after all."

Roxas knitted his brows, didn't fully believe her words. "Aunt Aerith." He approached the quiet brunette. "You've been here with Uncle Zack before, right? Do you remember the way?"

"Y-Yes…" She muttered with a nod before finally — albeit slowly — turning her head to him. "It's exactly as she said…" She bit her lower lip when their eyes met. Her lips trembled as she struggled to fight back a bout of sorrow that wants to send her world into sobbing. "Ro-Roxas…" Aerith cursed internally, mad at herself for almost breaking down in front of her godson. "Is… Is there no other way?"

He caught on what she was addressing right away. "Maybe there is. But this is the only one I can think of at the moment."

"Why? Why do you make such a foolish deal?"

"It's the best for everyone." He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a humorless laugh. "I guess it is rather ludicrous; making a deal with the Mother of Witchcraft. But…" Roxas smiled, small but genuine. "Seeing you leaving here safely is all I could ask for."

The brunette wanted to return his smile but didn't for she knew her eyes would betray her true emotion. Once again, she wondered how Roxas was able to act so calm; he was the one who is going to be enslaved!

"I have something for you." Aerith turned to the cart then lifted a small pot of blue flowers. "Here." She held the plant out and Roxas accepted it perplexedly.

"Sylleblossom?" Roxas tilted his head to the side, recognizing the flowers to be one of Aerith's favorites. "Why are you giving me them? Aren't they for the festival?"

"Not anymore. Keep them with you, Roxas. To… remember me by." She breathed deeply. "Remember that I'll always be by your side. No matter the distance nor circumstances."

"Aunt Aerith…" Roxas put the pot down by his feet before pulling his godmother into an embrace, her face pressed into his shoulder. Aerith wrapped her arms securely around him, tears threatening to break down the walls she had built.

"Don't worry. I'll find a way to escape from here." Roxas whispered right by her ear, causing her body to go stiff. "I'll be home soon, trust me."

When Roxas broke the hug, Aerith was still flabbergasted by his last words. She merely stared at her godson until he mouthed 'Wait for me'. It took everything in her not to nod back, in fear the simple action might give away the young man's plan. Instead, she squeezed his arm gently. She got his message loud and clear.

Not long after that, Aerith mounted Buster. Roxas had the pot of Sylleblossoms in his arms, cradled close to his heart as he watched the brunette adjusted her position in the saddle. After a tender farewell kiss on his head, Aerith clicked her tongue and Buster began to walk, then shifted into a trot.

Roxas watched his last remaining family member rode away silently, his eyes never left her retreating form. His godmother sent him multiple worried, backward glances all the way to the front gate until they made the left turn as instructed and disappeared behind the ivy-covered fence.

Starting from that moment on, the two of them would not meet face-to-face for a long time.

* * *

 **That's the end of Chap 4. I'm once again sorry for the late update. I believe it's best that I stop giving out promises, it wounds me everytime I was unable to fulfill them. *bows* So sorry and thank you for continuing reading despite this!**

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	6. Chap 5: First Night

**Merry Belated Christmas and a Happy New Year, everyone! I originally wanted to put this up on Christmas day, but a lot of festive, family plans got in the way. Plus, family is important for me, so sorry for receiving this update a day or two late. I hope you guys are having a great holiday!**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

 **Charming and the Witch**

 **Chapter 5: First Night**

 _No conversation could be heard_ _, but it was clear the two were arguing._

 _And it didn't stop until it was gone._

〜∗〜∗〜 Charming and The Witch 〜∗〜∗

"Why was it unlocked?"

He didn't turn to his Mistress when she spoke. After all the years of serving her, he knew she wasn't looking at him. Her shielded eyes were fixated on the young man standing a few feet away from the mansion's porch steps. His back facing them and a pot of unfamiliar flowers in his arms. Their second late night visitor was now riding halfway to the gates, visibly distressed as she leaves.

"You know why, Mistress," he answered, his non-visible eyes traveled to the wide-open gates. "You fully understand why…"

He returned his gaze to the young man, studying him a moment more, then nodded curtly.

"Mistress, I have another proposition…"

* * *

Roxas continued to stare at the spot where he last saw Aunt Aerith, dread weighing heavily in his chest. _She's gone. And I might never see her again…_

The sound of a throat being cleared interrupted his musing, and he swiftly turned to the source. Standing alone on the threshold of the castle doors was the witch. She had been so quiet and still that Roxas had momentarily forgotten she was there.

"Are you done?" She possessed a soft-spoken voice which — in his opinion — didn't suit someone who had just separated a family and condemned one to the dungeon for eternity.

"Would you leave me here if I say 'No'?"

Whether or not she frowned, he didn't know, but there was a hint of annoyance in her voice when she responded, "Oh? What are you doing then? Enjoying the night air?"

 _Is she…_ "Why yes, I am. It's rather nice out here you know — cool, dust-free and full of fresh air. Care to join me?"

"I decline. It is too cold for my liking." She crossed her arms in front of her. "I suggest that you come back in this instant; my night has been wasted enough."

"And get thrown into the dungeon?" Roxas spat at her. "I'd rather freeze right here in the cold than get locked in some cell and never see outdoors again."

He noticed her stiffened. It must have been a while since someone talked back to her. "Are you going against the deal we made? Need I remind you that you have given me your words?"

"Oh, I remember it clearly," Roxas said. "And how is this breaking the deal? I would eventually die in the dungeon, so what difference does it make if I die out here? After all, I'm still on castle grounds."

Roxas wasn't quite sure should he be elated or worried when the Mother of Witchcraft let out an irritated groan. If her title suggested anything, she can easily kill him on the spot with a fatal spell whenever she wants to.

"Insufferable…" He heard her muttered before raising her right hand. With a snap of the fingers, a fire sparked into existence, hovering over her open palm, flickering brightly like a normal flame would on a candlestick. It wasn't the first time Roxas seen magic — black magic — being used in his presence. However, the young man still couldn't help but stare at the fire orb in awe just as he did many years ago.

"Now," the witch started, "if you do not enter the castle in the next few minutes, I will set those flowers aflame."

Roxas jolted and held the pot of Sylleblossoms closer against his chest. "You wouldn't…" He glowered.

The witch simply gave him a shrug. "Would I? Do you want to find out?" She flexed her fingers and the flame twirled, burning brighter, livelier. "What I am asking for is simple: Enter the castle."

His frown deepened. The flowerpot's rim dug painfully into his rib. He couldn't risk having them destroyed. Aunt Aerith gave them to him. If he were to stay in the castle forever, he _needs_ them.

"On one condition," Roxas said, "I get to keep the flowers with me and you won't harm them."

"Consider it granted." The witch accepted in the next heartbeat, surprising the blond. "Now, enter the castle."

Having nothing else to counter, Roxas groaned, shivered from a cold breeze then made his way to the massive oaken doors. After he walked past the witch, she closed her palm into a fist and the fire died off immediately. Internally, Roxas sighed in relief; the witch kept her words, and the Sylleblossoms were safe.

The Mother of Witchcraft soon joined him in the foyer. Behind her, the two heavy doors groaned, their rusty hinges squeaked as they swung close by unseen hands. A deep 'thump' sounded throughout the foyer as the doors shut close, sealing the cold air — and his freedom — on the other side.

"Now," Roxas turned away from the door and towards his… jailer, who began to saunter towards the staircase. "Follow me."

She didn't spare him a backward glance as she climbed up the first flight of steps. Her posture straight, hands placed neatly by her sides, and it appeared as if she was gliding instead of walking. Watching the alleged cold-blooded murderer having such grace was an odd and unexpected sight to the blond. Then again, she _was_ the Mother of Witchcraft; the Queen of the wicked.

Not in the mood for another round of bickering, Roxas caught up wordlessly and followed the witch up to the second floor then into the dark East Wing hallway.

* * *

Unlike the first floor, the second floor was covered completely by wall-to-wall carpet. The carpet was semi-soft beneath Roxas's bare foot. Its presumably original bright red color had reduced to a dull grayish-red from the years of neglect and multiple layers of dust and grime. _I hope I can go find my other shoe…_ Roxas thought as he stepped over a stain on the carpet. _Why are we on the second floor, anyway? Is the dungeon in one_ _of the towers_ _?_

He kept a comfortable distance between himself and the witch who had summoned back the fire, using it to light their way in the dark hall. There was some moonlight streaming in from what Roxas guessed to be windows high up on the walls, but they simply weren't enough to light up the whole hallway. He couldn't even see a step before him earlier. _I wonder will there be a window or fire in my cell…_

Just then, the witch stopped right in front of a pair of closed double door. The white wood appeared yellowish in the fire's glow. Roxas eyed the doors curiously. What lies beyond them?

"Here is your bedchamber."

Roxas was shocked, widened eyes landed onto the witch who didn't utter another word nor make any move to leave. Did he hear it right? "My… bedchamber?" He questioned skeptically, a single brow raised.

The Mother of Witchcraft turned to him, her dark clothing seemingly devoured the lights from the magical fire; he could barely make out her shape from the darkness surrounding them. "Did I stutter?"

"N-No?"

"No, I did not. I believe you had heard me loud and clear," she said, waving a hand to the closed doors. "Here, is where you will be staying — as stated in the deal — forever."

"B-But…" Roxas eyed the door warily as if anticipating something to burst out and attack him any moment. "You said you're sending us — I mean, me — to the dungeon. _Not_ a bedchamber."

"I _know_ what I have said; I need you not to remind me." She shook her head slightly and Roxas felt annoyance bubble up inside him. "Our deal does not specify your accommodation in the castle; thus I brought you to a bedchamber. Do you prefer the dungeon instead? Shall I call a servant to guide you there?"

Roxas pressed his lips into a thin line. A room would be more favorable than a cell built from stone. But why would the witch offer him a room? "No need. The room is fine—"

"Everything is settled then," the witch cut in then proceeded to walk past him. "A servant will come later to help settle you in. Farewell."

"W-Wait!" Roxas spun to the light, calling the witch to a stop. "What's the catch to this? What exactly do you want from me?"

"... What do I want?" There was a pause before she gave him a monotonous reply. "Nothing."

"That can't be! I'm your prisoner, not your guest. What are you expecting from me by giving me a room?" Roxas pressed on. Surely there _must_ be a reason for this.

The witch groaned. "I said, nothing."

"I don't believe you. What is it? Am I going to serve you as a servant too?" Roxas didn't even notice he was advancing towards the witch as he urged. "Or a meal for the monsters? A test subject? Or a—"

"SILENCE!" The fire flared suddenly, blinding the blond with the bright light. That burst of flame was so powerful Roxas could feel a wave of heat hit him. "Enough! Very well. If you are so desperate to know what I want, allow me to entertain that question. I want you to LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Roxas flinched, backing away a few steps.

"I forbid you to ever enter my bedchamber and study in the West Wing. You are also prohibited from entering any locked room in the whole castle. If my servants or myself caught you in the act, there will be dire consequences. Do you understand?!" The witch snapped. "Well?!"

"Yes," Roxas answered, a bit too soon for his liking.

The witch let out an irritated huff. "You better do." With a turn on her heels, the young woman strode off. The magic fire above her palm diminished with every step until the whole hallway was plunged into darkness once more.

* * *

Roxas gingerly pushed the door opened before fully stepped into the bedchamber once he confirmed it to be empty. Thankfully, the room was sufficiently lit; a lantern on a bedside table, and a candelabra on what appeared to be a writing desk at the far end of the room.

Closing the door gently behind him, Roxas marveled at the spacious — and surprisingly, rather clean — room. The ceiling was high, and the walls were mostly bare other than a framed oil painting hung above the unlit fireplace and a couple of equally unlit candelabra sconces. Placed in front of the fireplace, facing it, were two identical armchairs and a low wooden table between them. On his right, placing against the wall and opposite of the fireplace was a beautiful, grand four-poster bed draped with linen curtain and scattered with far too many cushions than he needed.

Roxas walked over to the bed then carefully placed the flower pot upon the bedside table. He stretched out a hand to touch the ivory sheets; soft and silky beneath his palm, unlike any cloth that could be found back in the market. "This must cost a fortune," he muttered to himself before removing his hand and rounded the bed.

A few feet away from the four-poster was a wardrobe, taller than him by half his height. He pulled open the doors to find the insides empty. He did the same to the three drawers beneath; empty too. Roxas sighed disappointedly then closed them back.

Next to the wardrobe hung an ornate gilt-framed mirror, showing a young man with tousled blonde hair and faint shadows beneath the eyes. Roxas raised a hand to touch one of them, knowing they'll only get darker from then on. He glanced over to his injured shoulder, the skin still noticeably red and swollen from the burn earlier that night. _I'll have to_ _clean and treat that._ _Hopefully_ _, I can find_ _some_ _cloth and a spare shirt in the bathroom._

At the end of the room were massive, tall windows, taking up almost the whole wall. The thick curtains were drawn and as he pushed one aside, he could only see darkness beyond the glasses. The clouds had obstructed the moon. A quick look at the windows confirmed his guess: they couldn't be opened. He doubted the witch would bring him to a room where he can easily escape from.

Last, but clearly not the least, the writing desk. Roxas approached the furniture with a smile he couldn't contain. _Mahogany_ , he noted with astonishment and envy. Only the rich could afford such high-quality wood. He ran a finger across the smooth surface of the small drawers and pigeonholes built on the back of the desktop surface — amazed by the cleanliness once more — and his smile widened. This was a desk he could only dream of owning back at home. The desk and drawers were free from any books, papers, and writing implements. How he wished he can pull them out from thin air, sit down and write. Just by looking at the desk itself filled him with inspiration.

"If only you were mine," Roxas said dejectedly, before grabbed hold of the lit candelabra that was placed upon the table. "Now… I should probably search for the bathroom." Then, he registered the smooth floor tile underneath his uncovered sole. "And for my shoe too."

 _KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

The sudden sharp knockings on the doors made Roxas jumped. Fortunately, his grip on the candelabra was firm. "Ah! U-Um… Who is it?" He asked, startled, and returned the candelabra to the desk.

"A servant, my good sir. Mistress sent me to make sure you are settling in well. May I come in?" A male voice spoke, and paused, awaiting the blond's answer.

 _A servant?_ Roxas wondered curiously, walking over to the doors. _Wait... I think the witch_ _did mention_ _about sending one earlier. I thought she was lying about that; mocking, even._

He grabbed the handle and opened it just enough to peer out and check on his visitor. The sight almost had him immediately slammed the door right in their face. Almost. "Y-You… You're…" He stammered, barely able to form a sentence as he froze to the spot, eyes locked with the servant's own.

"Yo! You don't have to open the door yourself you know; you could have just ordered me to," the tall servant said, a lopsided smile on his faintly glowing face. "So, how are you liking your room? We can switch to another one if you want, but you need to give us time to clean it up."

"I-I… The room… You…" Roxas licked his suddenly dry lips, words lodged in his throat.

The servant raised a brow, a look of concerned spread across his feature. "Hey, are you feeling well? Do you need to lie down?"

The blond shook his head. "No! I mean, I-I'm fine. It's just…" He staggered a few steps back, never breaking their eye contact. Eyes… _Green eyes._

"You… You have a face…" He finally managed to speak out, and the tall servant gave him an amused smile.

"Ah, yes," he said, raising a finger to tap on the side of his smooth chin. "I believe I didn't have one when we last met. On behalf of the rest of the servants, I apologize for that. We kept our faces hidden from outsiders for safety purposes."

 _Hiding… their faces?_ Roxas gulped in fear — the sort of fear that is like both awe and anxiety, and that he couldn't tell which was the dominant one at that moment. "You guys can _do_ that?"

The servant nodded curtly. "Yup. You'll be surprised by our range of… skills, good sir."

 _I've_ _surely_ _seen quite a lot of those earlier…_ Roxas thought to himself as he studied his visitor. As a whole, the servant _(man? monster? spirit?)_ looked almost the same as when he first saw him in the hallway. However, he now bore a face (eyes, nose, mouth, and all) and his body — still flickered and glowed the color of a setting sun — was much fainter and more defined, tangible, and… human. Roxas could see the strands of his spiky, long hair, the shape of the nail on his fingers, and—

Roxas jumped in shock. His visitor was legless. Everything from his waist down was faded into nothingness. "W-What? Where're your legs?!"

The servant looked down then waved a hand nonchalantly. "Oh, them? They're hidden; I'm too tired to manifest them. Plus, hovering around is much more relaxing."

 _W-What?!_ Roxas could only gawk at the flame entity as his brain processed. _O-Okay… Thinking about it now, all monsters I met earlier_ _did appear_ _out of nowhere. Maybe they all_ _have the ability to_ _fade in and out like a ghost?_

"Hey," The servant's voice broke his chain of thought. "I'm… sorry about that." He lifted a finger and pointed at him; at the burn injury. "I forgot how… heated I can become."

Roxas gave him a slight frown before evaded his eyes. "I need to treat them. Where can I find the bathroom?"

"Two rooms from your bedchamber, sir. Further down the hallway."

"Good. Will there be clean water and towels?"

The shamefaced spirit nodded. "We have filled the washbasins and the towels are in the cabinet. A servant will be up to draw you a bath."

Roxas shook his head. "No need for that. I'll retire to bed after I dress my burn."

The blond was about to turn and fetch the lantern when the servant suddenly asked, "Are you hungry, good sir? We are fixing up some supper down at the kitchen. A bowl of warm soup will surely help you rest better."

"Oh, no. I'm not hun—" Just then, his stomach growled loudly, causing Roxas to flush in embarrassment. It only got redder when he noticed the amused smirk of the spirit's face. "Ig-Ignore that! I'm not hungry!"

The glowing servant was clearly not believing his words. "Of course you're not, sir. And I'm not a ghost." He held back a chuckle and gestured to Roxas. "Please follow me. I shall lead you to the dining room."

"I said I'm not hungry!"

"There is no need to lie. I have served long enough to know the sound of an empty stomach." The servant retreated into the dark hallway, waiting for his guest to exit the room. "Please, my good sir, follow me."

Roxas stood his ground, hesitated to accept the offer. His stomach rumbled its protest once more as if to say _'Feed me you fool!'_. However, Roxas ignored it. First a room, then an offer for a bath, and now food? What was the witch planning for him?!

"I'm not hungry," he repeated, his tone firmer.

The spirit seems to frown at the rejection. "Maybe soup is not to your appetite? We can serve you something else. Perhaps a potato pudding, chicken pie, or fruits?"

"No! None of that," Roxas growled, a headache began to grow. "I am going to sleep after I treat this burn _you_ gave me. Why don't you do as your _Mistress_ ordered and let me 'settle in' by leaving me alone?!"

The servant hovered silently in the hallway, seemingly unaffected by the blond's words and emotional display. Next, to Roxas's mild surprise, he made a deep bow. "My deepest apologies. If that is what you wish, my good sir, it is my command. I wish you a good night's rest."

Wordlessly, the servant rose — albeit not fully — before gliding forwards and pulled the door close.

Roxas exhaled through his nose, emptying his lungs to calm himself. He closed his eyes and began to count the seconds in his head. Once he decided enough time has passed for the servant to be far from his room, Roxas grabbed the lantern by its handle and exited the bedchamber.

The first thing Roxas noticed was that the hallway was lit up. It wasn't bright — only a handful of the sconces were lit — but it was sufficient. With the light, he realized there were rooms on both sides of the hallway. As he guessed, there were arched windows built high on the walls, allowing sunlight to shine through in the morning.

Roxas headed down the hallway to the room the servant had informed him earlier and opened the double door to find out it was certainly the bathroom. The chamber was tiled, an empty metal tub was positioned in the center, and placed against the walls were the washbasins and cabinets. Roxas noted the room also had been illuminated, most probably by the flame servant. Roxas felt the guilt of yelling at him crept up but quickly suppressed it.

 _No! Why should I feel bad?! I am their prisoner and_ _ **he**_ _hurt me. Just because he apologized doesn't mean he meant it!_ Despite that, the look on the servant's face reappeared in his mind. _No. He could have faked it. He could…. I'm so tired…._

For the remaining time in the bathroom, Roxas washed and bandaged the burn on his shoulder silently. The minor cuts he sustained on his arms and cheek had already clotted. The cabinet held a small medical bag, causing Roxas to wonder if it was also the work of the tall servant or mere coincidence.

Soon, the blond was back in his room, feeling fatigued and wanting nothing more than the night to end. Extinguished the candles on the candelabra, Roxas lowered the flame in the lantern to preserve its oil before climbing under the covers. He felt as if he was lying on a cloud; everything around him was soft, too soft compared to the bed back home. He'll need to get used to sleeping on this.

Despite the weariness, Roxas found sleep elusive. The thought of Aerith's safety continued to trouble him and was only compounded by every second he laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling of the four-poster. _Has_ _she reached Radiant Garden?_ _Has_ _she met up with the organizer?_ _Has_ _she checked in at the inn?_ _Has_ _she eaten dinner? Is she safe? Is she well?_

Roxas shook his head, trying to clear his mind and the headache he felt blooming in his temples. _Stop worrying! She's far from here. She's safe. Get some shut eyes!_ And he did just that, shutting his eyes tight, waiting for the day's weariness to overcome him and drag him to dreamland—

GASP! Roxas's eyes snapped wide open, only to squeeze shut as another sharp pain erupt in his stomach. He groaned in anguish, curling up in an attempt to soothe his abdomen. "Damn…" he hissed, cracking an eye open. The room was darker than he remembered. _Huh?_ The blond shifted in his bed to look at the lantern, and sure enough, the oil was running low. _I-I slept?! But that's_ _roughly_ _an hour of oil, and I closed my eyes for barely a minute!_ Roxas winced as another hunger pang attacked. With both a restless mind and an aching stomach, there was no way he could get any proper rest at all.

Roxas groaned once more as he pushed himself up by the elbows, swung his legs onto the floor and sat up on the edge of the bed. His stomach rumbled in demand for food and he couldn't deny it any longer. He had not eaten anything solid since tea time, and he was famished.

Got off the bed, he grabbed the lantern and left the bedroom for the second time that night.

* * *

"It shouldn't be far…" Roxas muttered to himself, traveling down the other hallway he had yet to investigate. Other than the hall where his bedchamber was located, the whole castle was dark, and the first floor East Wing hallway was no exception. The lantern in his hand was the only light source.

The young man continued padded along the corridor, his boots hardly made a sound on the marble floor. Not long before, he found his lost boot placed directly in front of his room. The only thing accompanied it was a piece of paper with the word 'Sorry!' scribbled on it. The sloppy handwriting and multiple inkblots had Roxas wondered if it was written by a child.

Soon, as Roxas neared the end of the hallway, he caught a whiff of cooked meat in the air. His mouth started to salivate and before he knew it, he had followed the scent to a closed door and opened it.

He was greeted by a richer, stronger aroma of the meal; cooked meat, root vegetables, spices, and herbs. The warmth from the low-burning hearth by a wall enveloped him like a cozy wool blanket, and Roxas suddenly felt like he was transported back home; cooking with his mother while father and godparents were chatting jubilantly in the main room…

"Do you need any assistance, good sir?"

Roxas jolted out from his memory and spun towards the speaker. It was the same fire servant from before, sitting straightly on one of the two wooden benches beside a table. On it was a cup of hot drink and a small bowl of red grapes.

 _So he wasn't lying about them having fruits… Or food_ _, in general_ _._ Roxas shook his head, then replied, "Not really. I'm just…" He suddenly felt embarrassed to voice out his hunger, especially after denying it so fervently earlier that night.

However, he didn't need to say another word, for the tall servant rose from his seat and gestured Roxas to the other bench. "Please have a seat. I'll prepare your supper. Will soup be enough?"

"U-Um… Yes," he answered, walked over to the table, placed the extinguished lantern aside and sat down.

The servant nodded and glided over to the hearth.

Roxas watched the ghost worked; flaring the firewoods to burn hotter before fetching a ladle and began to stir the soup in the pot hung above the open flame. He examined the kitchen, it was a spacious room, easily able to fit in 20 or so kitchen staffs. The walls and floor were stone tiled and most of the walls were occupied by cabinets storing an assortment of pots and pans in different sizes, or expensive tablewares and cutleries. On one of the walls, he noticed another door. It was shut closed, but Roxas guessed it leads to the pantry.

His eyes trailed to the bowl of grapes on the table, and his hunger demanded him to eat them all. But he managed to stop himself, the fruits weren't for him after all. _Wait… Were grapes still in season?_

"Here you go, sir." A bowl of steaming soup was placed before him, its enticing aroma filled his nostrils. "Turnip soup with chicken meat, potatoes, and carrots. I hope it is to your satisfaction. Enjoy your meal."

This time, it took Roxas everything _not_ to throw table manners out the window and assault the food. "Thank you. It smells _(heavenly)_ lovely." Picking up the soup spoon provided for him, the young man scooped up a generous portion, blew it slightly then brought it to his mouth. Thinking back to this, Roxas would surely be embarrassed by the moan of ecstasy escaped from his lips after tasting the soup. "I-It's… delicious!" He took another spoonful, then another, and another. "It's so pleasantly seasoned. I can taste clove, mace, salt, pepper and even a touch of butter." He scooped the soup up and examined it. "There are also onion and celery. And the chicken and potatoes make it filling, so it can be served on its own. Maybe we can pair it with some bread or—" Roxas stopped his rambling, suddenly remembered where he was, and who else was in the room. He glanced up at the servant sat opposite him and blushed when he noticed the amused smirk on his face. "A-Ah… Please ignore what you just saw."

The servant simply chuckled. "There is no need to feel embarrassed, good sir. It's clear that you're enthusiastic about food. I take that you enjoy the soup?"

Roxas, still a bit flushed, nodded. "I do. It's a great dish for supper; it warms you up in such a cold night."

The servant nodded before taking a drink from his cup. If Roxas had not been so busy stuffing his face with the meal that scene would surely have him dumbfounded. "If you don't mind me asking, sir. Do you work in a kitchen or at least with food? You actually managed to taste the butter; none of us staffs got the ingredients right on the first try."

Roxas swallowed a spoonful before answering, "Yes, I do. I work as one of the chefs in a restaurant back in town." He paused, then added, "My mom also taught me how to cook since I was young."

"I see," the fire entity muttered then let out another chuckle. "Xaldin would need to watch out then, now that we have another chef in the castle."

"Xaldin?" Roxas was almost done with his soup. "Is he the head chef?"

"Yup. I bet he'll be surprised to hear our guest is a chef _and_ managed to list out all the ingredients in his turnip soup. He's a man who took pride in his cooking."

"I don't see why he need to 'watch out'." Roxas lifted the bowl to his lips (table manners be damned) and downed the remaining soup in a single gulp. He let out a contented sigh and set the porcelain bowl back on the table. "Instead, I hope he'll teach me how he cooked this. Thanks for the meal."

"There is no need. Allow me," the servant got up and proceeded to clear the table from the empty tablewares. Roxas stood up too. With a warm meal in his satisfied tummy, he felt more relaxed and his eyelids began to droop.

He happened to let out a yawn when the servant approached him. "Tired?"

Roxas nodded. "Like you said, the soup will help me rest better." He cracked a smile, and the servant did the same.

"Allow me to lead you back to your bedchamber. You're looking rather ragged."

After refilling his oil lantern, Roxas followed the flame servant back to his room. The whole journey passed surprisingly peaceful. When the servant asked if he would like a bath before bed, Roxas declined. "I think I need sleep more than a bath right now."

"Of course. I wish you a good night's rest." The spirit was about to close the door when Roxas asked, "Hey. What's your name?"

He paused and looked back at the visibly sleepy blond. A small smile etched across his face. "My name is Axel, good sir."

"Axel," Roxas repeated, nodding to himself. "Alright. Thank you for the meal, Axel. Have a good night."

"Thank you, sir. Have a good night's rest… again." The tall servant, Axel, made a bow and shut the door.

Letting out another yawn, Roxas deposited the lantern on the bedside table, kicked off his boots and climbed into bed. He made himself comfortable with the cushions and finally allowed his eyelids to drop. With the meal warming him from the inside, the young man instantly drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **That's the end of Chap 5. Roxas is now stuck in the castle, held captive by a witch and numerous spirits. Will this be a hellish stay? Or maybe he will find a friend?**

 **If you have spotted any grammatical errors, don't hesitate to inform me about it. I accept constructive criticism and ways to improve your reading experience.**

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	7. Chap 6: Hello Spirits

**Happy New Year, everyone! I know I'm late. Life has been productive (and exhausting) so far in 2019. Not to mention that Lunar New Year holiday = family time.** **Alright. New Year. New Resolution. And one of my resolutions is to have a productive year, including work, personal projects, and of course, my baby 'Charming and the Witch'. I know this fanfic has been updating rather slowly, but it will NOT die. I'll need to die first before this fanfic will.**

 **Also, KH3! I haven't finished it yet! My access to a PS4 so far is only 3 days! I have only started Monstropolis at the time of this update, so do not spoil me everything that comes after that world and I know there's a lot to talk about. My friend had finished the game in 5 days and oh, how she wanted to discuss things with me. It's amazing how she managed to keep everything in and willing to wait until I'm done with the game myself.**

 **Me when drafting this chapter: Oh, this update should be up fast, there aren't too many things to cover.**

 **Also me: *writes up to 6000 words***

 ***Ahem* Sorry for the wait, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Keep in mind, this story was planned from the beginning to pace in a way that I hope was realistic enough. Thus, there will be exciting chapters and mellow(?) chapters. This one is the latter.**

* * *

 **Charming and the Witch**

 **Chapter 6: Hello Spirits**

 _He laid her down into its cruel, cold grip._

 _Soon after, she can see no more._

〜∗〜∗〜 Charming and The Witch 〜∗〜∗

When Roxas opened his eyes, he saw nothing but darkness.

He furrowed his brows, bringing a hand up to rub the sleepiness from his eye. _Where am I?_ Roxas thought as he pushed himself up only to freeze instantly. The bed he laid on was too soft. _This… This isn't my bed!_

In a panic, he scrambled out of the bed, untangling himself from the covers of which materials were also unlike the one back home. The young man almost fell off the bed in his haste but managed to twist and landed on fours at the last minute. He let out a short yell as his knees hit the hard ground; cold and smooth underneath his palms. _This isn't wood!_

Roxas clambered up to his feet, his breaths came out raspy and his knees trembled, threatening to buckle any moment. _W-Where am I?!_ He whipped his head around the dark space, the sound of his heartbeat thrashing in his ears. Then, his eyes landed on a thin, bright vertical line, stretching up from the floor to up above.

He blindly groped his way in the dark, hastily approaching the light. _Please! Oh, please don't—!_ Roxas shot his hand out to the light, his fingers touched something thick yet velvety. He fisted the material in his hand and with a harsh pull—

 _FLAP!_

—bright light shone into the room, blinding the blonde. Roxas yelped in surprise, freeing the curtain from his grip and shielded his eyes. When his blurred vision cleared, Roxas looked back to the source of the light, and his stomach dropped.

It was morning.

Unveiled by the thick curtains, the view of the woods surrounding the abandoned Vallenhart Castle greeted Roxas. In the far distance, he could spot the tips of the royal castle's towers in Radiant Garden. Twilight Town, however, was nowhere in sight.

"It wasn't a dream…" The young man mumbled, backing away from the windows. "It wasn't a dream…" He looked around the room, taking in the luxurious furnishings and large fireplace. "It really happened…"

Then, his eyes caught something blue. His breath hitched, and he walked towards it with shaky legs.

"Buster came back last night. Aunt Aerith was in trouble." Roxas recollected, he was halfway across the room.

"The witch was going to throw us into the dungeons. I-I…" He had reached the bed's side, eyes focused on the flower pot placed upon the bedside table.

"I made a deal with her…" A sudden dizziness struck him like a wave, causing Roxas to sway before steadying himself with a hand on the bed. "She let Aunt Aerith go. Aunt Aerith left. She's gone."

Roxas looked back to the blue flower — Sylleblossom. A parting gift from his godmother. He stretched out a clammy hand to caress one of its petals between his finger and thumb, but his trembling caused it to be ripped from its stem. His eyes widened and his heart raced at a thought.

"… She knows?"

* * *

It was an hour after sunrise when Axel decided he should check on their guest. Personally, the fire spirit would like to let the guy sleep in longer, especially after such an eventful yesternight. However, breakfast was readied and he would like to introduce him to the rest — or some — of the staffs before they dispersed.

He flew up to the second floor, extinguished all the candelabra sconces, and stopped in front of the bedroom doors that belong to their new guest. Unlike the previous night, Axel decided to fully materialize then made the quick check on his uniform and temperature. Once satisfied, he gave the door three sharp raps.

"Morning, my good sir. It is me, Axel. Are you awake?" Axel asked and waited for an answer. Soon, he heard a tired moan, and a voice spoke, "Yeah… You can come in."

A smile crept on the spirit's face. If their guest is comfortable that unquestionably is a huge plus. "Understood. I hope you're decent because I'm coming in." He turned the knob, pushed the door open, and glided in. "Rise and shine, my good—" Axel stopped mid-sentence, his eyes landed on the four-poster bed.

It was empty.

"S-Sir?" Axel blinked twice, confused. He gave the room a quick glance, finding it empty too. Where could their guest have gone to? He heard him minutes ago after all.

The sound of shuffling clothes snapped Axel out of his reverie, and a soft groan redirected his attention towards the fireplace. Particularly on the armchair with its back facing towards him.

The servant cocked his head, confused, then floated over to check out the source. True enough, leaning back in the armchair, with both arms loosely folded across his chest and bare feet propped up on the low coffee table, was none other than their guest, Roxas Strife.

Axel flew two feet higher at the sight. "Sir?! Why are you sleeping on the chair? Is there something wrong with the bed?"

Roxas groaned tiredly, shifting himself to a comfortable spot. "No…" he replied. "The bed's fine… Just a bit too soft."

"We can change it for you. Sleeping on the armchair is highly not recommended. It will harm your back and posture," Axel informed, floating back closer to the ground.

"No need," Roxas yawned. "I'll get used to it, eventually." At last, he cracked his eyes open to look at the fire servant. "And you're here for?"

The calmness exuding from their guest confounded Axel, but he hid his surprise well. "Breakfast is ready, good sir," he said with a friendly smile. "Allow me to guide you to the dining room. We will fetch you a bath and new clothes afterward." He held a hand out to the blond-haired man, intended to help him sit up.

Roxas stared at the outstretched glowing hand, radiating heat that reminded him of a dying ember. He shook his head, ignoring the hand and pushed himself up instead. The fire monster remained quiet and dropped his hand to his side.

"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?" Roxas asked, dropping his feet from the table and stood up to stretch, his spine popping as he did.

"Told you sleeping upright ain't no good. And if you haven't noticed, there's a huge hole in your shirt," Axel said, pointing at Roxas's shoulder, "There are cuts from when you jumped through Vexen's ice barrier, and it is also dirty. We will discard them for you and get you something new to wear."

The young man scowled at the servant. "No."

"N-No?"

"Yes, I said 'no' and that's that," Roxas asserted, walking past the hovering monster and towards the bed where his boots were.

Axel's brows furrowed as he turned to watch the blonde. "Why not? They are clearly not wearable anymore; the shirt can't even be patched up."

Roxas finished wearing his shoes and looked up to the fire spirit. The frown still presents on his face. "These–" he gestured to his clothing "–are one of the few things I have now that is from my home. The _home_ which I'll never be able to return to again." His clenched fists didn't go unnoticed. "Do you _really_ think I will allow you guys to throw it away as if it is some garbage?"

Axel remained quiet, something akin to sympathy visible in his eyes. Roxas let out a deep breath through his nose, despising himself for arguing with the servant like a little kid. Axel had been treating him nicely ever since he got a room, and all he did was direct his anger and frustration at the poor servant repeatedly. _Why should I feel bad? He's my jailer!_

"I understand, sir. I'm sorry for not considering that." Axel said with a bow, the sincerity of his apology only made Roxas felt even more guilty. "Will you, however, allow us to wash them at least? I promise we will not throw them away, or set them on fire, or tear them into shreds. Just a simple wash, iron, fold, then have them place into your wardrobe."

Roxas bit the inside of his cheek, looking down at his shirt, contemplating if he should accept the offer. His hand held onto the shirt's hem and observed the cuts from last night — a finger easily slid into one of them. To his slight embarrassment, Roxas also took notice of his albeit not strong, but still unpleasant body odor.

"Fine," he gave in, feeling self-conscious. "But after breakfast. And I get to watch you guys washing them."

"Of course, my good sir. We can easily arrange that," Axel said with a lopsided smile before gliding over to open the door. "Follow me. I will guide you to the dining room."

Roxas nodded and trailed behind the spirit, heading downstairs to have his morning meal.

* * *

The castle interior was surprisingly different from how he remembered during the daytime. Illuminated by the morning light from the numerous windows, the sand-colored walls and grayish-red carpet were oddly welcoming. Despite covered in a layer of cobwebs and dust, the exquisite decors retained their shine and their warm tones complimented the overall look, giving the castle a sense of… homeyness.

 _I guess this is a reason King_ _Vanitas_ _had_ _so_ _many windows installed_ , Roxas thought, eyes gazing out to the unkempt garden outside as he followed Axel down the hallway. _I bet the view must have been breathtaking back in the days._

"Here we are." Axel's voice brought Roxas out of his thought and stepped into the room after the servant opened the door. The dining room was spacious and lavishly furnished. A smaller crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling and beneath it was a beautiful, mahogany 10 seater dining table, placed upon a red carpet. The size of the table confirmed Roxas's guess that they were at the smaller, less formal dining room.

Axel gestured him over to the seat at the head of the table. "Please have a seat, good sir. The servants will bring the food here in a second."

Roxas looked at the chair, then at the empty table, and back to look around the room.

"Sir?" Axel asked, noticing their guest didn't make a move from his spot. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," the young man replied with a sigh, rubbing an arm absently.

 _Is he cold?_ Axel thought. _Didn't I lit the fireplace earlier?_ He turned to look at the hearth where a steady flame was indeed burning when Roxas spoke up. "Actually, Axel. Can we go to the servants' quarters?"

Axel whipped his head back to the blond, startled not only from his request but also the fact he addressed him by his name. "Servants' quarters? I guess there's no harm in doing that, but… now?"

Roxas nodded. "Yeah. Is there a servants' dining room? Can I eat there instead?"

"U-Um… Why? Is there something wrong with this room?" The servant questioned, glancing around the room as if something can give him the answer.

Roxas shook his head. "Nothing's wrong with the room. It's just…" Axel watched as the young man's eyes landed back on the dining table, a wistful look on his face. "… empty."

Axel rubbed his chin, then nodded. "The servants' dining room also doubles as our sitting room. Please, follow me."

* * *

The servants' quarters were located at the back of the castle, passing by the conservatory, bathed in sunlight from the glass ceiling above. As Axel guided him to the quarters, Roxas spotted something pink moving between the green leaves.

It was the giant rose from last night.

"Axel," Roxas called him to a stop. "Is she a servant like you?"

"She?" The flame servant gave him a confused look before followed his line of sight. "Oh! Hahaha! You are mistaken, sir. He's not a 'she'." He laughed again, causing Roxas to feel awful for misinterpreted the rose's gender. "Ha… Oh boy, Marluxia will kill me. _Ahem_. No worries. I will introduce you to Marluxia after your breakfast. Hurry now; you must be famished."

Axel ushered him to enter another hallway, and they soon arrived at the servants' quarters. The furnishings were much simpler and plain. The ground wasn't tiled and glass chandeliers were replaced with those of brass material. Regardless, the sense of homeyness didn't cease to exist.

In the near distance, Roxas heard talking and clattering tablewares. Curiosity peaked its head. _How many servants are there? Could they all be…_ There and then, the plan to eat at the servants' dining hall didn't seem to be a good idea anymore.

"A-Axel, I think–" Roxas opened his mouth to object, but it was too late. They had arrived at the threshold to the servants' sitting room, his words were lodged in his throat, and his eyes widened at the sight.

Spirits and monsters occupied the room.

Roxas cast his eyes around the room, taking in the translucent ghosts and humanoid monsters in different sizes and colors. As his eyes landed on one particular monster, he tensed. Every cell in his body screamed at him to run and never look back but fear froze him to the spot. Leaning against a far wall, conversing with an inky black monster, was a monster made of electricity.

 _It-It's the one from last night!_ Roxas backed away slowly, eyes never left the electric monster who _(thank the Goddess)_ didn't seem to notice him yet—

"Hey! Seems like you got your boot back!"

The young man jumped with a loud yell, startled by a voice coming from behind him. Roxas whipped around to face something semi-transparent, but a smiling face was distinguishable on its shimmering surface. Roxas recognized the monster in an instant. "Y-You're the—"

"Sorry 'bout last night. I didn't think your boot will slip off," the _(male?)_ monster cut in. "Did you get my message? I really mean it, you know? Oh! Did you sleep well? Have you eaten? How are you liking it here? Wanna play my sitar? Wait, do you know what a sitar is?"

Before Roxas could process what the water monster was babbling about, Axel spoke up from beside him. "Hey now, Demyx. Don't crowd him; he needs air and you'll just gonna freak him out."

"Oh! I'm sorry!" The water monster, Demyx, quickly drew back from their guest. "It's just been a while, and I got too excited."

Axel snickered. "Don't we all?"

It was then Roxas realized the noise from the servants' sitting room had gone quiet and he could feel the eyes boring into his back. Roxas gulped. _Goddess above… Is it too late to run?_

"Come on. Let's introduce you to the rest." Roxas felt Axel's hand on his shoulder before hearing his words. It was hot, but not to the point of unbearable pain, it was more similar to holding a cup of freshly brewed tea. Nevertheless, the sudden heat caused him to flinch. Axel noticed it before dropping his hand and floated into the servants' sitting room.

"Morning, everyone," the flame entity greeted his coworkers, grabbing hold of their attention. "There is a slight change of plan, so allow me to introduce our guest, Mr. Roxas Strife!"

Roxas tensed up, his back still facing the crowd in the room after Axel's rather cheerful introduction. _Oh no. Oh no. This wasn't what I thought would happen!_

A couple of ghosts giggled, which alerted Axel of their poor guest's embarrassing predicament. He swiftly glided to his side. "It seems like our guest's a little shy. There's no need for that, good sir. Everyone's a friend here. Plus, they're all anxious to see you."

Roxas sneaked a glance at both Axel and Demyx, who was motioning him to turn around. The young man gulped, his heartbeat continued to race, and the urge to flee was still strong. The only reason he hadn't bolted out of there was that Demyx was blocking the way. Maybe he can run right through the water monster, but Roxas also didn't want to risk it.

There was no other choice. He hoped it wasn't a lie…

Sucked in a deep breath, Roxas turned on the balls of his feet and yelled, "Hi!"

Most of the servants jolted in their seat or spot, startled into silence. In the next few seconds of stillness, Roxas — blushing red in utter embarrassment — wanted nothing more but to dig himself a hole to hide in until a monster chirped back from one of the tables, "Hey there! It's so nice to finally meet you!"

As if a spell being broken, a handful more servants greeted back with a friendly 'morning' or wave. Two female ghosts floated towards him with bashful smiles on their faces, seemingly eager to introduce themselves to the charming-looking blond. A couple more joined them to get a closer look, gushing all over at their new guest.

"Mr. Strife, how are you feeling today?"

"Did you have a good sleep?"

"What's your favorite food?"

"How old are you, good sir?"

"S-Say… What kind of girl do you like?"

They threw question after question at him, yet gave him no chance to answer any of it. The spirits continued to crowd around him, making Roxas feel even more claustrophobic every passing second. "U-Uh. It's great to meet you all. But… can you…"

"Now now, ladies. I know you're all excited, but Mr. Strife here haven't had his breakfast yet. Why don't you all be a dear and bring him his meal as he settles down?" Axel stepped in and added, "He must be starving right now."

The ghosts mumbled among themselves and dispersed, floating towards the kitchen as they were ordered.

"You should have told us sooner, Axel." One of the ghosts chided him as she flew by. "A good young man like him needs all the strength he could get." The ghost sent Roxas a shy smile as she left, causing the young man to shudder.

Had he expected monsters when he entered the castle? No.

Had he expected ghosts? Well… perhaps only of those who have passed and trapped here.

Had he expected female ghosts — both young and middle-aged — to gush over him like a newborn baby? No. Definitely, positively, and absolutely not.

Freed from the unexpectedly doting spirits, Roxas accepted the seat Axel had pulled out for him and sat down. An empty plate and cutleries promptly placed in front of him. There was already a selection of food upon the tabletop, but Axel insisted him to wait for his 'fits for a royal guest' meal and speedily flew off before Roxas could say another word. To be honest, Roxas wouldn't have minded having the same meal as the servants. He was a simple commoner after all.

Joining him at the long tables were four humanoid monsters and two ghosts. The ghosts were engrossed in their conversation, and a monster — massive, broad-shouldered and entirely made of orange-brown rock — was silently munching on a piece of buttered bread. The last 3 monsters sat side by side and Roxas knew they were close friends with one another at a glance. Among them was the one who first greeted him back earlier, its _(most likely 'his')_ body glowed brown and white, but what made him stood out were his impossibly spiky hairstyle and contrasting blue eyes.

Just then, the monster stood up and approached him. Roxas felt his body tensed, but relaxed when he saw the wide, genial smile on his face. "Hi! My name is Sora." The monster extended his hand out, which Roxas accepted and received an energetic handshake. "I hope we can be friends."

Caught unprepared by Sora's friendliness, Roxas could only nod back. "S-Sure."

"Oh! Let me introduce you to my friends." Sora said before ended their handshake. He turned to gesture at the other two monsters. "Come on guys. He's nice."

 _Huh? Do I look mean to them?_ Roxas wondered as the other two monsters rose from their seats and joined their friend's side. One of them was similar to that of a shadow; a silhouette of a young man with shoulder-length hair. However, beneath the swirling darkness on the surface, Roxas saw simmering light. It was because of those light that Roxas could see the contours and details of his face. But judging from the furrowed brows and narrowed cyan eyes, he didn't seem very happy to see him. Nonetheless, Roxas gave him a smile. "H-Hi."

When the shadow monster didn't respond, Sora jabbed him in the ribs, earning a hiss. "Don't be like that, Riku. Say 'hi'." The tall monster rubbed the spot where Sora had jabbed and sighed. Finally, the stern features on his face softened and he muttered, "Hey. Name's Riku."

Roxas nodded then shifted his attention to the second monster, only to widen his eyes in recognition. "You're the one from last night, aren't you? At the staircase; with our horse."

Indeed, floating in front of him, glowing pink and white was the monster he saw the previous night with Buster. This time, her long hairstyle and face were visible, which reminded him of someone back home. Unlike her shadowy friend, she had a smile on her face and her purplish-blue eyes glowed with excitement. "Hello, my name's Kairi. And yes. That poor thing was exhausted, so Mistress ordered me to have it healed up."

"Heal? You healed Buster?"

Kairi nodded. "Yup. I'm a healer. Don't worry. Your horse wasn't gravely injured. It was merely worn out, so I helped replenish its strength. Oh!" The monster floated towards him then held his face by the cheek with a hand, her thumb dabbed a spot beneath the cut. "You were hurt yesterday! Good to see the cuts are fine but the burn on your shoulder needs treatment. Allow me." Then, her hand began to glow green.

"What? W-Wait!" Kairi stopped at his yell, but some damage was done. Roxas felt a pulse of soothing energy course through his body; weariness melted away, the cuts disappeared, and the burn didn't sting as much under the bandages.

Roxas pulled away and Kairi withdrew her hand, confusion written all over the face. "Is something wrong, Mr. Strife? Are you hurt? Did I do something wrong?!"

"No no. I'm fine, it's just—" Roxas paused, running a hand through his messy hair, sighed, then gave her a reassuring — albeit forced — smile. "You did nothing wrong. Don't worry."

"Then why—" Before Kairi could finish, Axel re-entered the room with the ghosts trailing behind him, each holding a covered silver tray.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, good sir." Axel bowed, then gestured the servants to set the trays down and uncovered them, revealing a variety of food and drinks from around the kingdoms. "We present you your breakfast. We hope it is to your satisfaction."

Taking that as their cue, Sora bowed to Roxas. "Pardon our leave, Mr. Strife. We shall not interrupt your meal. Please enjoy." He gently gripped Kairi's wrist and tugged her back. "Come on, Kairi."

The healer seemed hesitant but submitted in the end. After an elegant curtsy, she allowed Sora to lead her away. Riku flanked them in silence.

Roxas watched them leave in silence, feeling both relieved and guilty — relieved because he doesn't have to answer the obvious question he knew Kairi would ask, and guilty for the same reason.

 _It's for the best. They shouldn't know. They_ _don't need to_ _know._ Roxas turned to his breakfast and began to eat. As he munched on some well-seasoned Chocobo egg omelet, in a room occupied by ghosts and monsters, Roxas felt it did not differ from eating all alone back in that empty dining room.

* * *

After a filling breakfast, Axel did as he promised and continued to introduce Roxas to the other servants. There were a lot of names to remember, and by the end, the names he found stuck faster in his head were the name of the monsters. Other than Demyx and the trio who had introduced themselves to him earlier, he learned the name of the silent, rock monster — Lexaeus.

Afterward was the inky monster with an eye-patch, brown eyes, and ponytail named Xigbar. Up close, Roxas noticed his black-colored body actually consisted of tiny, twinkling dots, similar to that of stars. Xigbar sported a cocky attitude which Roxas wasn't sure what to think of it. His teasing and nickname for him (kiddo) was annoying, yet his sarcastic remarks and laid-back side make him kind of likable.

Next, to his dismay, was the lighting monster who assaulted him last night — Larxene. Despite in her 'human' form, Roxas concluded she still looked anything but friendly. She may hold a wide smile on her face, but when she made ill-humored jokes on his predicament and how 'weak' his godmother was, Roxas knew she would be the hardest one to like.

Lastly, in the meantime, he properly met Marluxia, who was a gardener in the castle. He wasn't pleased to know Roxas had mistaken him as a female, but he had taken it quite well and said, 'You weren't the first and I can't really blame you.' Then, he grumbled at Axel for floating too close to a scrub, which had the flame entity excused themselves and led Roxas away, back towards his room.

The rest of the morning was rather uneventful.

After a bath and supervised the washing, ironing, and folding of his clothes, Roxas found himself with a lot of time on his hand and absolutely nothing to do. It was something unfamiliar to him. Back in town, he was juggling two different kinds of work. And if he wasn't working, he would be reading, cooking and writing experimental recipes, catching up with friends, caring for Buster, or helping Aerith with her gardening. He was used to being up and about or at least having papers in his hands. Now… He felt useless and out of his element.

Roxas knew he needs to do something or else he would go insane.

"Axel." He called out to the spirit during lunch, which was already prepared in the less formal dining room by the time he arrived. "Can I know where the library is? There is one, right?"

Axel nodded, crossing his arms across his chest. "Yes, there is. But the doors are locked."

"Can you unlock it?" Roxas asked, finishing up a crisp pastry. _That was nice. Could use more cinnamon though…_ "Maybe some quill pens and papers too?"

The servant shook his head. "Sorry, sir. I can't unlock the library without Mistress's permission. I can, however, have someone bring the writing implements to your room. I would do it myself, but you requested papers, not ashes."

Roxas chuckled at Axel's joke. He was funnier when he wasn't so stiff and trying to be formal all the time. "Is there a chance your Mistress will grant you that permission?"

"I'm afraid not."

Roxas sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Are there any books lying around then? Outside of the library?"

"There could be some. Would you like me to have someone to search for them?"

"That would be great. Thanks." Roxas watched as the flame entity left the room, presumably to find some servants to pass his orders to, gears turning in his head.

* * *

Axel was right; there were books lying around the castle. To his luck, one of them was a cookbook and Roxas had copied down recipes and tips that intrigued him onto the papers a ghost had brought up. By the time he finished the book, the sun was hanging low, and the blond decided he had spent too much time in his bedchamber.

Grabbing a book he hasn't read before, Roxas descended to the foyer and sat down onto one of the available armchairs. His simple action kicked up dust, causing him to sneeze before waving them off with a hand. Once they were settled, Roxas leaned back and started to read, grateful the ghosts earlier had stopped harassing him.

Halfway into the book, the sunlight streaming in from the windows dwindled and Axel soon showed up, announcing dinner was ready. Just like the two previous meals, dinner was divine and Roxas noted down dishes he could recreate back in the restaurant. He could only hope his boss wouldn't be too stingy about the ingredients.

As Axel led him back to his room, he asked the servant a question, "Do you guys sleep, Axel? I mean, you and the other monsters might need sleep, but how about the ghosts?"

Roxas heard Axel snorted before answered, "Sir, we're all ghosts here. And to answer your question, we do. It is, after all, the best way to conserve energy."

"Ghost?" Roxas furrowed his brows. "You certainly don't look like one; you're practically made of fire."

Axel hummed and scratched the back of his neck. "Well… You're right on that point. But we wouldn't call ourselves as 'monsters'; we don't exactly fall under that category."

"If not monsters, then what _are_ you guys?"

"Like I said, good sir." They had reached Roxas's bedchamber and Axel held the door open. "We're ghosts."

* * *

The next day came too slow in his opinion and night was almost a repeat of the previous one; the restlessness and worries keeping him up. He had resorted to reading to distract himself until he eventually fell asleep. Morning arrived with Axel once again lecturing him for sleeping on the armchair and reading in low lighting. Roxas allowed him for it was something familiar.

After a quick refresh, Roxas followed Axel down for his breakfast, and the rest of the day was pretty much like a broken record. Read. Lunch. Read. Write. Nap. Read. Then dinner came and gone.

Roxas sighed heavily, exiting the dining room with Axel behind him. _Is this how a royal live their life? It's too dull!_

The young man continued to walk back to his room, his legs moved routinely, his mind reminiscing the days back home. All of a sudden, his shoulder bumped into Axel, and he recoiled from the heat with a short yell.

"Ouch!" Roxas hissed, rubbing his shoulder. Thankfully, the flame spirit had his temperature turned low enough to not burn him. "Axel, warn me next time you—"

"Good evening, Mistress," Axel said with a bow.

Roxas tensed and looked up. They had just exited the hallway and into the grand foyer. Standing near the base of the staircase, preparing to climb the steps, was none other than the Mother of Witchcraft. Her dark clothing and perfect posture were exactly the same as he remembered two nights ago.

The witch remained quiet, looking at their direction. After what felt like hours, she turned back to the staircase and ascended, not looking back once.

Once she was out of their vision, Roxas let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and his body relaxed. He hated encountering the witch; her concealed face never failed to put him on edge.

"Hey, Axel. You can leave now. I'm going to spend some time in the garden." Roxas told him before turning on his heels.

"May I ask why, sir?"

"I've been staying in my room all day," explained Roxas. "I need some fresh air." It wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't the sole reason why he didn't want to go back to the second floor. "And the plants — you know — reminds me of my godmother." He added.

"I understand. Have a good evening, good sir." If Axel saw through his excuses, he didn't show nor voice it out. After a bow, the fire monster _(no—ghost)_ took to the air, flew up to the second-floor balcony and disappeared from view. The only trace Axel left of his presence was the warm air before the winter cold soon replaced it.

Roxas sighed _(alone once again)_ then resumed his walk.

Unlike the rest of the castle, the conservatory was always warmer, despite the lack of a flame to do the job. The pale moonlight illuminated the inner garden with a soft silvery sheen and Roxas couldn't help think back to the night he found Aerith here as well as the fragments of memories it dug up.

Nevertheless, the conservatory was truly breathtaking. Marluxia must have outdone himself planting and maintaining the garden to its current glory. It must have captivated Aunt Aerith too before everything went awry. Roxas let out a long exhale. Oh, Goddess. He missed her.

Shoulders remained slumped, Roxas wandered deeper into the garden, the dark, moist soil sank underneath his steps without a sound. Shortly, he reached a clearing, but it differed from the one he, Aerith and their jailers stood that night. No. This one was a circular crossway, three other routes were noticeable at his front, left and right.

Roxas stepped into the center of the moonlit intersection before tipping his head skyward. He let out a soft gasp. He was standing right beneath the center of the glass-domed ceiling. The clouds were gone, twinkling stars scattered across the night sky like gemstones upon an enormous dark cloth, and the lustrous moon was bare for all to marvel.

When was the last time he looked up to the night sky and just watch the stars?

Enthralled, Roxas moved to sit onto one of the wrought iron benches placed in each corner of the circle, leaning back to resume stargazing.

Roxas stayed on the seat for what felt like hours, head tipped back to rest on the bench's back, and fingers loosely intertwined across his laps. For that moment, he allowed himself to stop thinking, feeling himself floating away, accompanied by nothing but the winking stars and radiant moon. He felt light, free, and in peace. Like stardust back home at last.

But as they say, all good things must come to an end.

The temperature in the conservatory had turned chilly, and the cold brought him back, with a shiver as his 'welcome back' gift. It was late; time for bed.

He sighed, closing his eyes, loathing the idea of going back to the bedchamber and go through the same routine tomorrow and the day after, and the day after that.

 **No.** He didn't want to go up. He didn't want to stay in this castle. He wanted to go home. Back to his semi-hard bed, his messy, book-crowded room, his station in the restaurant's kitchen, his working desk in the library, his seat in the Usual Spot, back to his friends, back to the orange-brick streets, back to… back to Aunt Aerith.

Roxas sat up on the bench, back straight and chin high.

The burn Axel gave him on his shoulder was still visible, even though Kairi's short pulse of healing had reduced the hand shape to three fingers and the ball of the thumb. He knew, as long as Aunt Aerith backs him up and he remains convincing, this injury of his will keep the townsfolk away from the castle, away from the danger.

He would persuade them not to attack the castle, just to spite the witch, to prove her wrong.

 _Yes._ Roxas tightened his fists, a confident smile spread across his face. _That's what I'll do. My plan will work!_

Tomorrow night, he's going home.

* * *

"Everything seems to be running smoothly."

She merely hummed, still looking out of the window. "… I see."

"You need to do your part too," he prompted.

"I will. Eventually…"

* * *

 **That's all for this chapter! Roxas is determined to escape and go home. What possibly could go wrong?**

 **If you have spotted any grammatical errors, don't hesitate to inform me about it. I accept constructive criticism and ways to improve your reading experience.**

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	8. Chap 7: All Bark, No Bite

**Hello guys! Yes, I'm back with another chapter and I'm terribly sorry for the long wait. Life has been tiring and stressful at the moment; full-time job and another project to juggle and all. And my perfectionism just had to rear its ugly head and made me doubt this chapter, causing me to rewrite and revise it more time than it should...**

 **And I finally finished KH3 last month. I'm kinda speechless, really. The ending, additional mysteries, secret movie, and all. Argh. Do we need to wait another 10 years for the next installment? Hopefully, there will be free DLC coming in the near future.**

 **Enough of chit-chat. I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter and sorry once again for the wait.**

* * *

 **Charming and the Witch**

 **Chapter 7:** **All Bark, No Bite**

 _She shook her head_ _fervently_ _. "I refuse!"_

 _"I know, dear." A hand rose to pat her on the back. "It's all up to you now."_

〜∗〜∗〜 Charming and The Witch 〜∗〜∗

The carpet absorbed his quick footsteps as Roxas traverse down the deserted hallway, his form crouched down low, and a bundle of notes pressed firmly against his chest.

It was dark. The candelabra sconces were unlit as per his request and the moonlight streaming in from above were insufficient to penetrate the gloom below. The shadow covered him like a thick blanket, shielding him from any prying eyes.

It was _perfect_.

Soon, he arrived at the beginning of the hallway; the second-floor balcony that overlooked the grand foyer below. It was brighter due to the tall windows and Roxas pressed against the wall to remain hidden. He had expected this. He had spent the past days reading in the foyer to examine every nook and cranny of the spacious room, noting the lack of hiding spaces and dark corners. Once he exited the East Wing hallway, he would be completely exposed.

This was the only way.

Roxas drew in a deep breath and breathed out through his nose. _Three._

He only has one chance. _Two._

And he won't lose it. _ONE_ _!_

Sprung up like a tightly wound spring, Roxas sprinted out of the safety of the shadow and down the stairs, mindful enough to land on the carpet. It might have past midnight, and the ghosts could be asleep (if Axel's words were to be trusted), but he didn't want to risk anything.

Roxas winced as a rather loud thud echoed throughout the room when his boot struck the marble floor. _Oh no no no!_ He had to leave before anyone heard that and come to investigate. Roxas continued his dash towards the massive oaken door, no longer concerned with his footsteps since the damage was already done.

He was halfway across the foyer, the exit soon in his reach, and he heard no shout ordering him to stop. _This could be it._ Roxas thought, a flutter of excitement in his belly. He shot out his hand, towards the area where he knew the latch was located. _I'm going to_ _be free!_ _I'm going_ _hom_ _—_

 _CRASH!_

Roxas flinched just as a sizeable rock smashed through the windows to his left, shattering the glass and sending fragments everywhere. Shocked, Roxas leaped away to safety, his mind went momentarily blank.

"What did you do that for?!" An unfamiliar female voice yelled, snapping the blond out of his daze.

"Ain't it obvious? We can enter the castle from 'ere." A male voice answered before a beefy hand — holding onto another rock — appeared by the hole in the window and began to smash away the sharp edges, making the hole bigger and safer to climb through.

Those were voices. That was a human hand. There were people outside. And they were coming in!

 _HIDE!_ A voice shouted in his head and Roxas obeyed it without hesitation.

Just as the rock broke the last sharp fragment off the corner of the window, Roxas had ducked behind the armchair furthest away from the intruders. He pressed his back against the dusty furniture, trying his hardest not to gasp or pant or anything that could give away his hiding place. _What are they doing here?!_

Then, the sound of glass crunching beneath heavy boots greeted his ears. The cracking sounded almost like thunder in the quiet foyer. They were in.

"Oh, Goddess." A new male voice spoke up and a sneeze soon followed. " _Sniff._ This place is dusty and dark."

"What d'ya expect?" The first, deeper male voice replied, followed by more footsteps, moving deeper into the foyer. "The castle has been abandoned for almost 5 'ears. Ya thought it'll be clean? Yeesh."

"That's not what I meant, Trey."

"Then stop whinin' and come in 'ere, ya doofus." Roxas heard a groan, some shuffling, followed by a thud and crunching glass — another person had entered. These footsteps were lighter in comparison and much too close for comfort.

"Will you guys hurry?" The female voice from before demanded, sounding anxious and displease. "It's bleeding cold out here and I swear if my mom found out about this, you two will be in a world of pain."

"Lighten' up, Lelah." The voice, which Roxas believed belonged to a 'Trey', chuckled. "We're 'ere. Might as well explore, eh? Or is 'ittle baby Lilah scared?"

"Call me that again Trey and I'll leave with Mr. Privett. We'll see who's the scared one out in the woods with no gun."

"Shush it!" The second guy in the group hissed, hushing the two bickering companions. "Let's take what we need and get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps and the dust — _sniff_ — is not helping."

Lilah scoffed. "This is just silly, Jarrod. Doing Kristoff's bet by coming here will _not_ impress Ms. Lacemere."

Roxas blinked upon hearing the familiar name. _Lacemere_ _? Namine?_

"How would you know?" Jarrod defended.

"You're 4 years her junior," Lilah huffed. "Ms. Lacemere can do so much better. Just look at her suitors, Mr. Almasy, and even Mr. Strife."

 _H-Huh?_

"Pfft. Roxas Strife? You must be joking. He just reads and cooks all day like an old married woman. I'm much manlier than him; I know how to fight and hunt!" Jarrod criticized and Trey voiced his agreement with a laugh.

"True dat! Strife ain't no fighter. If King Vanitas didn't read so much too, he wouldn't be dea—"

 _ **GROWL**_ _ **…**_

In a split second, all voices stopped and silence fell over the grand foyer. Only a low, guttural sound filled the space. Gradually growing louder. Closer.

Roxas glanced around, trying to pinpoint where the growl was coming from until Jarrod yelled, "Oh, Kingdom Hearts!" He quickly peeked out from behind the armchair to investigate. The thinner teenager had a hand up, his finger pointed towards a certain direction. Roxas turned his head to it and his jaw dropped in disbelief.

 _H-How?!_

Crouching low and descending the staircase was a massive wolf, easily twice the size of a normal one. Its thick, scraggly dark-bluish fur bristled, and a jagged X-shaped scar was visible across its face, between a pair of sinister yellow eyes locked on the two teenagers.

The wolf growled louder, pulling its mouth back in a snarl, baring teeth sharp enough to shred through human flesh all the way to the bone like it was nothing but flimsy paper.

It didn't take a genius to figure out the wolf was dangerous. Especially one so enraged.

Suddenly, the wolf leaped from the steps. Someone let out a high-pitched scream. A deafening _BANG_ _!_ echoed through the foyer. Roxas was certain he yelled at that point, but the surrounding chaos drowned him out.

A rough male voice yelled at the teenagers to get back. There was a clacking sound and another loud bang assaulted his ears. Something in a far corner of the room shattered.

"Come out this instant, you kids!" The stern voice shouted and Roxas could hear another familiar 'clack'. Roxas peeked out from the chair to see a man outside of the shattered window taking aim at the wolf and fired another shot from a shotgun. The large animal dodged to a side, causing the bullet to miss and left a crack on the marble tile instead.

The wolf approached them slowly, forcing the terrified teenagers to back away, glass crunching and splintering under their heels. Just then, Trey kneeled, grabbed the rock he had used beforehand and threw it at the wolf with a fearful yell.

The wolf moved to avoid the projectile and—

 _BANG!_

—let out a shrill cry. Roxas gasped as he watched the giant creature staggered backward. A patch of dark red bloomed on its side. _It got shot!_

"That'll show you, beast! Good job, kid!" The gunman let out a triumphant laugh and quickly reloaded. "I'll end you!"

At that instance, for reasons unknown, Roxas knew he couldn't allow him.

" _ **NO!**_ "

 _Screech Screech Screech_ _!_

Out of the blue, a massive swarm of bats swooped down from the second floor, screeching like banshees and circling right above the heads of the intruders. The two teens yelped in fear and clambered through the hole in the window. The swarm of bats pursuit them, shrieking all the way out of the foyer and into the night.

Roxas scrambled to his feet and dashed to the window closest to him to peer out. To his relief, the newcomers were sprinting away from the castle and towards the front gate. The gunman was yelling something unintelligible at the three teenagers, waving a hand frantically to keep the bats away from his face. The swarm of black bats never once dispersed until the group of four had run out of the castle ground and disappeared from view.

At last, the castle was quiet once more.

 _What… What in Kingdom Hearts happened?_ Roxas pondered as he slid back onto the cold floor, the adrenaline from the night had worn off. A single low growl snapped him out of his trance and Roxas whipped around on the spot. A few feet away from him stood the massive wolf. It was breathing heavily, its snarl was gone and its fur somehow looked less messy and intimidating. It merely watched the young man before sitting down. Its yellow eyes never left him once.

Roxas couldn't tear his eyes away from the beast either. With him sitting on the ground, the wolf easily towered over him. Upon closer inspection, it looked even larger than he thought, almost like a smaller horse. How… _How can I not have noticed a_ _wolf_ _living in the castle?_

"Saix! SAIX!" A familiar voice called out from the second floor before a fireball zipped down from the balcony above and promptly morphed into a humanoid form. It was Axel. "Saix! Mother of all that is holy. Are you alright?! Demyx just told me there are intruders and that he saw you heading to the foyer then we heard what sounded like gunshots and—" The flame spirit flew closer to the wolf and cursed when he saw the crimson liquid pooling on the tiles, "—Goddess' wounds! You're bleeding! Come on, we have to go to Kairi! She'll heal you and — what are you looking at — Roxas?!"

Roxas gave the flame servant a sheepish smile and waved. "H-Hi?"

Axel blinked thrice, looked back at the injured wolf as if for an answer (and received none) before back to their apparently awake guest. "G-Good sir, why are you up and out at this hour?" He asked, whilst raising an eyebrow.

"Oh! U-Um…" Roxas stuttered, feeling the panic rise within him, and he fought it down. _Don't look away_ , he told himself, _act normal!_ _Say_ _something!_ "I was thirsty. Y-Yeah! I um…" Just then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed his pile of notes and recipes — scattered and somewhat creased — by the armchair and an excuse came into mind. "I couldn't sleep and was reading my notes when I got thirsty," Roxas said, frantically gathered the papers up. "I was heading to the kitchen when some teens showed up and… um…" Not knowing what else to say, Roxas gestured to the smashed window.

Axel gave the damages a quick glance and sighed, running a hand through his long hair. "We'll have it clean up when the morning arrives. Allow me to escort you to the kitchen sir, but I must get Saix medical help afterward. Is it alright if I join you later?"

"Um… S-Sure." With a nod, Roxas climbed back to his feet and the giant wolf did the same with a grunt. Soon after, the three of them traveled down the hallway that led to the kitchen, Axel stayed close to the blue-furred wolf's side to ensure it wouldn't collapse. The whole walk had been quiet, only Axel's soft voice to Saix and the clicking of the wolf's nails on the tiled floor broke the silence between them. Saix didn't reply to the flame spirit once.

Not long later, Roxas was left standing by the kitchen door as Axel and Saix continued down the corridor, undoubtedly to the servants quarter where Kairi was. Roxas's eyes fell upon the blood trail on the floor and quickly looked away. The night has been tiring and eventful enough. He didn't need nightmares to add to the list.

Pushing the door open, Roxas entered the kitchen and rummaged around to prepare for tea.

He definitely needed it.

* * *

Roxas was pouring himself the fourth cup when there were three knocks on the door. Before he could utter a word, it swung open to reveal an exhausted-looking Axel. His body glowed fainter compared to earlier, like an ember dying out on the hearth.

"You don't look so good. Are you alright, Axel?" Roxas asked, watching the spirit floated over to the empty bench across him and sat down in a slouch.

Axel simply hummed, scraping a hand over his face. A long sigh escaped from him before he finally spoke, "There's no need to worry about me, good sir. I'm fine." Roxas noticed the strained smile on the spirit's face as he added, "I was just… unprepared for what had happened. Ha. Did I miss a memo? Is this week _'Visit the Vallenhart Castle week_ _'_ or something? Ha ha ha."

Roxas frowned at the dry laughs. It was unlike the Axel he knew during his stay in the castle.

"How's… Saix?" He asked, unsure if he pronounced the uncommon name correctly.

"He'll live. It took Kairi quite some time to get the bullet out and close the wound, but she did it. All those fur made things slow; had to make sure they wouldn't get into the injury and all. Should have tried to shave it off," Axel said with a chuckle then a sigh, his eyes cast down. "Good thing it's nighttime though."

Roxas raised a brow at the last statement. "Why would daytime be any different?"

"… He… The chance of survival will be much lower, that's all."

Roxas pouted. Axel's reply gave him more questions than answers. Despite the urge and a bunch of questions at the tip of his tongue, Roxas held them back. What mattered was the wolf still breathed and Roxas felt oddly relieved at that news. Plus, Axel didn't seem to be in the mood for an inquisition. Giving one more glance at the spirit before him, Roxas put down his cup and stood up.

His action caused Axel to look up, curiosity in his eyes. "Sir?"

"Let me get you something," Roxas said and walked over to one of the cabinets. Withdrew a porcelain cup identical to his, the blond did a quick job rinsing and drying it before headed back to the table. He lifted the teapot and filled the cup with its content.

"Here." Roxas pushed the chinaware to the taller man, careful not to slosh the clear yellowish-brown liquid within. "You look like you need it."

Axel stared at the full cup as if he had never seen it before, but thanked their guest nonetheless. Gingerly, he picked up the cup and brought it to his nose to take a whiff. When he smelled nothing out of the ordinary, he took an experimental sip only to have his eyes snapped wide open and pulled the drink away. Axel blinked, brought the cup back to his lips and tilted it up. One gulp. Two. Three. "Ah~" Axel breathed, almost banging the fragile chinaware onto the table as he fixed his gaze onto Roxas, something akin to delight sparkled in his eyes. "What drink was _that_?"

"Herbal tea. Passionflower to be exact," Roxas informed, smiling a small smile, seeing Axel acted how he preferred: relaxed and easygoing. "Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? If I have to listen to another round of Saix's grumbling just to get another taste, I'll do it gladly!" At that moment, Axel stopped and cleared his throat. A look of embarrassment on his face as he straightened up and composed himself. "Sorry about that, good sir. I… May I have another cup?"

 _There he goes again; all_ _formal and polite_ _. Also, how can a wolf grumble?_ "Of course," Roxas said, keeping the question to himself as he poured Axel another cupful before refilling his own.

This time, Axel drank the tea with smaller gulps, enjoying the usual vegetal taste all herbal tea offered, the unexpected yet pleasant notes of hay (like toasted oats) and a touch of bitterness. He didn't drink tea often, but Goddess, this one was refreshing!

After a moment of quiet drinking and three-quarters through his third cup, Axel felt light yet grounded, the worries and restlessness he felt earlier diminished. He felt calm. Relax. Happy?

"If you don't mind me asking, sir. Why did you choose this specific tea?" Axel inquired and poured himself a refill. He had eaten passion fruit once and remembered not liking it much. He had never seen their flowers before, let alone know they could be made into tea.

"I was actually looking for chamomile; to help me sleep later. But then, I stumbled across the passionflower. I never had them before, but they help with insomnia too, so I wondered, 'Why not?'." Roxas smiled and took a sip of said tea. "They taste surprisingly nice, don't they?"

"Yeah," Axel agreed. "They are rather pleasant."

"I'm also very surprised, to be honest, to find a cabinet filled with so many types of tea in the pantry." The young blond said, thinking back to the moment he opened the cabinet and met with row after row of neatly labeled containers. "I've never seen such a huge collection before."

"Ah. That's because Mistress is quite an avid tea drinker. She'll purchase any new tea leaves or tea blends she hears or sees."

"Really?" Roxas's interest perked. The image of the witch sitting daintily on a chair and drinking a cup of freshly brewed tea was an odd one. She didn't strike him as a fellow tea drinker. That being said, he knew absolutely nothing about her. _I don't even know how she looks like!_ Everything that has to do with the witch and evil spirits was from the mouth of the handful of 'adventurers' back in Twilight Town. Story after story which he had either ignored or considered as lies. Stories he never thought much of it… until tonight.

Roxas bit his bottom lip and loosened the grip on his cup. "Axel."

"Hmm?"

"What occurred earlier at the foyer; with the teens and Saix… It happened before, right?"

Axel said nothing. He took a drink from his cup — a bigger gulp this time, Roxas noted — before responded, "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, good sir."

 _H_ - _Huh?_ "I'm talking about the attack."

"I apologize, sir. But I wasn't there to witness what had taken place," Axel replied and Roxas groaned, feeling a tad stupid. Right. Right, Axel wasn't present. He arrived _after_ the intruders left, but still…

"All adventurers who had ventured to the castle in the past years said they had encountered _evil_ spirits, which they fought off with all their might in the name of avenging King Vanitas and all who died that night," Roxas began, tapping his fingers on his porcelain cup. "But, they had no injuries that could prove their battle with the spirits ever happened. Despite that, they swore to the Goddess it did. Some of them even boasted about 'killing' one.

"I've always believed they were lying and only done it for the days of popularity. I was so sure that everything was just fabrication and deceit but now…" Roxas sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. "Now I'm not so sure anymore…"

Axel remained silent, sipping at his tea. The silence prompted Roxas to continue. "Earlier, three teenagers and a gunman showed up; only two of them entered. From what I heard, they came due to a bet and also to impress Na— they need to take something from here as proof. Then, Saix showed up. He was growling, advancing towards the teens with teeth bared. That was when the gunman started to shoot at him and he just… dodged."

 _Dodged_ _. Saix_ _just dodged_ _. He didn't attack once._

The more he replayed the memory, the weirder the whole scenario was. _Why didn't he? Aren't they trespassing? Was he only scaring them? No... that_ _doesn't make_ _sense…_

"What's going on here?" Roxas muttered to himself and looked back at Axel. The servant brought the cup to his mouth and tilted his head back, polished off his drink in a single gulp.

"Axel—"

"It is long past your bedtime, good sir," Axel cut in, placing his cup down and stood up without meeting the blond's eyes.

"Yeah. B-But— Wait! Just—!"

"It is best for you to head back to your bedchamber and sleep. Leave the cups to me." The flame spirit moved to clear away the teapot and cups when Roxas bolted up from the bench and wrested the pot away from his outstretched hand.

"Will you just listen to me?! Don't try to avoid the subject!" Roxas yelled and pound a fist against the tabletop, rattling the cups. "I think you know exactly what I'm going to ask, Axel. So, why won't you answer me?!"

The flame spirit opened his mouth only to close it in the next second. His lips pressed together in a slight grimace as if struggling to find the right words. "I apologize, sir. But I simply can't."

"Can't? Why not? Why can't I know the reason Saix why didn't attack? Alright, fine. If you really can't answer me that, how 'bout these then? Why are you guys here? Why is the witch living here? What happened the night the King died? Did the Goddess really curse the witch? Are all the stories true?! Are you all evil?!"

"S-Sir," Axel uttered as the blond's voice grew louder and angrier.

"Am I dreaming right now because why can't I go home?! WHY. CAN'T. I. LEAVE?!"

Roxas panted for air, shoulders hunched, a painful lump in his throat, and eyes cast down at the stone floor. Energy from the days of inactivity pent up inside him morphed into frustration, festering until it burst like a giant bubble in a fit of anger. Soon after, exhaustion took over, and perhaps the herbal tea was kicking in too because the blond physically ached to lie down and sleep all his problems and worries away.

 _Oh, Goddess… Not again._ "A-Axel. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

A warm hand rested upon his shoulder and Roxas looked up. It was Axel, and he held the same look Aunt Aerith has whenever he mentioned his parents in her presence. There were sympathy, sorrow, and… guilt.

"I forgive you, sir. Let's get you back to your room and rest," Axel offered and Roxas nodded, too tired to reject. The short trip back was silent. Axel had an arm around his shoulder as he guided him back. His heat was comfortably warm in the winter cold, and it only made the young man drowsier by the seconds.

Once they had reached his bedchamber, Roxas reluctantly peeled away from the cozy warmth the flame spirit emitted and stepped into the room.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you much, Roxas."

Roxas stopped in his track and turned to face Axel. "Huh?"

Axel smiled — almost conspiratorially. "I may not be able to tell you everything. But…"

"But?"

"That doesn't mean you can't find them out yourself."

Roxas blinked, taken aback by Axel's words. _W-What?_

"I suggest brunch later in the day," the spirit proposed, speaking as if the short exchange earlier never happened. "Thus, you will be able to get some extra shut-eye. Have a good night's rest, sir. I'll see you in the morning."

The servant bowed and turned to leave. Roxas remained stunned in his spot. What did Axel mean? How was that an answer to all his questions back in the kitchen? _Wait._ _Back_ _there he…_ "Axel!"

The spirit halted at his call and twisted around just enough to give him a confused look.

"Back in the kitchen," Roxas continued, "you drank the tea. You can drink water?"

A slow smile spread across Axel's face and he nodded. "Yes, good sir."

Roxas could feel a headache blooming behind his temples, trying to make sense of everything. Axel had looked so human back then he served the drink with no second thought. The fact he was a fire spirit eluded him when Axel accepted it. "H-How? You're made of fire! The tea should have hurt you."

"That is why, good sir, we wouldn't call ourselves as 'monsters'," Axel repeated the same words he had told him one night before and morphed into a fireball after a simple 'Goodnight.'. It took off into the air in an arch and soon disappeared down the hallway, leaving Roxas to stand alone in the shadows.

After feeding enough firewoods to the dying flame in the hearth, Roxas made his way to the windows. He pulled the heavy curtain aside and pale moonlight filtered into the room, lighting it with a silvery glow.

Roxas sighed heavily and leaned his forehead upon the glass, hoping the cold would relieve the pulsing headache. He had failed to escape the castle. If that was the only problem, he would have been fine with it — he could just try again after a week. But no. Ever since he was imprisoned, everything he knew about the castle's history crumbled even more around him. He had never fully believed the story of Solistus Grandma Lacemere has been telling the children for there were too many flaws. How could a story be labeled as fact and historic if no mortals were present to witness what had happened that fateful night? Other than the king's body, all they had was a message. One he also found suspicious but had nothing to back it up. Even after years of researching, listening to possible leads from travelers in the restaurant and Hayner and Pence's stories, his plan to find out the truth met a dead end.

Or so he thought.

' _The explorers claimed_ _these vengeful spirits were summoned_ _from the underworld by the witch to protect herself, and they would harm anyone who stepped into her new territory._ ' That was how the story goes, but what had happened tonight seems to contradict it.

Maybe Saix didn't find an opening to attack. Maybe the spirits' friendliness was all an act. Maybe he was wrong for doubting the history's legitimacy.

But those are what they are. Maybes. Possibilities. Hypotheses.

 **They are not the truth.**

 _'..._ _find_ _them out yourself.'_

Roxas sighed, cursing himself internally. His father always joked that his insatiable curiosity would be the death of him. He wondered if his mother would agree with her husband now…

Tomorrow onward, he's going to stay.

* * *

 **That's all for this chapter! Roxas has decided to stay with a mission in mind.**

 **If you have spotted any grammatical errors, don't hesitate to inform me about it. I accept constructive criticism and ways to improve your reading experience.**

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